After investigating a complaint about an April 8 flour Mill Community Action Network meeting, the province's arbiter of closed municipal meetings has decided that though five members of city council were present, they did not violate any rules under the Municipal Act.
Though he agreed they represented “a quorum of the city’s Operations Committee”, the council members “did not materially advance the business or decision-making of the Operations Committee when they attended the meeting,”said Paul Dubé, Ontario Ombudsman in a report released Feb. 11.
Not only that, but the topics discussed would not fall under the purview of the Operations Committee, rather the Community and Emergency Services Committee
Dubé wrote that the Ombudsman’s office received a complaint, and on Sept. 18, 2024, advised the city of their intent to investigate the meeting that centred on neighbourhood concerns about a drop-in centre for people who are homeless.
The meeting was an opportunity for residents and business owners near the now-closed Sudbury Centre for Transitional Care (SCTC), located at Notre Dame Avenue and King Street, to air their concerns about the centre, its clients and what residents see as the impact it is having on their neighbourhood.
However, the conduct of Ward 12 Coun. Joscelyne Landry-Altmann, who co-organized and ran the meeting, was criticized by some members of the public in attendance. That criticism included Landry-Altmann providing direction as to who could and could not speak, and when. The councillor’s conduct at the meeting was later described by the city’s former Integrity Commissioner, David Boghosian, as “a prime example of a councillor supporting NIMBYism in its most offensive and vitriolic form.”
Although he recommended a 20-day pay cut for various alleged violations of the city’s Code of Conduct at the meeting, a near-unanimous council voted Sept. 3 to bring Landry-Altman’s sentence down to a written reprimand.
(Boghosian was relieved of his position a little more than two months later, on Nov. 14.)
The Ombudsman’s report notes that his office received full co-operation in the investigation, providing “records from the city related to its Community Action Networks, including Terms of Engagement and Standard Operating Procedures.”
The report does not include the names of the council members at the meeting, but notes there were five Operations Committee members present at the invitation of Landry-Altmann.
“The council members accepted the invitation to attend for various reasons,” states the report. “For example, one council member told us that they represented a neighbouring ward and were interested in hearing from residents on issues that impact the local community. Another council member told us that they attended to learn how Community Action Network meetings were run.”
Dubé wrote in his report that aside from Landry-Altmann’s chairing of the meeting, the council members in attendance told him that they did not speak during the meeting or participate in the discussion.
“The council members observed the proceedings and received information shared by other attendees,” he wrote. “There was no discussion amongst the council members and no decisions were made during the meeting. The recordings of the meeting confirmed the council members’ recollection.”
Dubé’s report states that the report is set to be discussed at an upcoming city council meeting, and is on the agenda for Feb. 18.
In the opinion section, he advises the city to revamp the regulations surrounding community action network meetings, noting that they were created to encourage and facilitate civic engagement and “must operate in a manner that is open and transparent to the public.”
The Ombudsman writes that as part of the City of Greater Sudbury’s review of Community Action Networks, “I strongly encourage the City to consider clarifying the rules and procedures for Community Action Network meetings including the public’s ability to attend them and the role of the council members who attend or participate in them.”
Jenny Lamothe is a reporter with Sudbury.com, covering vulnerable and marginalized populations, as well as housing issues and the justice system.