Compliments and Complaints

Closed Meeting Policy Statement

This policy applies to all appointed Boards and Committees of Council of the municipality with the exception of the Police Services Board and the Public Library Board.

The City of Kawartha Lakes shall:

• Ensure that requests for investigations submitted under Section 239 of the Municipal Act, 2001 as amended (the Act) are dealt with in a fair, open and expeditious manner
• Provide the information requested by the Municipal Closed Session Investigator (Investigator), either written or through interviews, to assist the Municipal Investigator in his/her investigations
• Ensure any report received from the Investigator related to an investigation under the Act, is placed on a public agenda and that consolidation of such reports is conducted in an open public session of Council.

This policy shall be available from the City Clerk's Office, 26 Francis Street, Lindsay, ON K9V 5R8 or by contacting the City Clerk's Office at 705-324-9411 Ext. 1295 or 1-888-822-2225 Ext. 1295 or through email to the City Clerk. 

Background

Through Resolution Number CHR2007-189, CR2007-1171, the City of Kawartha Lakes appointed the Provincial Ombudsman as a Municipal Closed Session Investigator and authorized him/her to conduct investigations upon receipt of a complaint in respect of meetings or parts of meetings that are closed to the public. The Investigator will determine compliance with the Act or the Municipal Procedure By-law and will report on the results of such investigations.

Inquiry procedure:
Please contact The Office of the Ombudsman of Ontario.

Complaints Procedure

Members of the public, including corporations, may submit complaints to the Investigator relating to compliance with the Act or the Municipal Procedure By-law for meetings or part of meetings that are closed to the public. All complaints will be treated as confidential at all times.

Complaints may be submitted on the established Complaint Form or via written request. The Complaint Form may be downloaded from the Municipal website or can be obtained from the Clerk's Department, together with an envelope addressed to the Investigator which the municipality has appointed under section 239.2 of the Act. Complaints may also be submitted directly to the Ombudsman's office on their prescribed form which can be found on their website. All complaints must contain the following information:

1. Name of Municipality
2. Complainant's name, mailing address, telephone number and email address (if applicable)
3. Date of Closed Meeting under consideration
4. Nature and Background of the particular occurrence
5. Any activities undertaken (if any) to resolve the concern
6. Any other relevant information
7. Original signature

Complaints may be submitted:

1. By mail:
   1. directly to - City of Kawartha Lakes, Closed Meeting Investigator, P.O. Box 9000, 26 Francis Street, Lindsay, Ontario K9V 5R8  Privileged and Confidential, or
   2. directly to - Office of the Ombudsman of Ontario, Bell Trinity Square, 483 Bay Street, 10th Floor, South Tower, Toronto, ON M5G 2C9
   3. By delivery:
      1.  to the Municipal Clerk in a sealed envelope clearly identified as a Complaint under Section 239.2 of the Municipal Act, or
      2. to the Office of the Ombudsman of Ontario at the address noted above.

When complaints are submitted directly to the Clerk, the Clerk shall undertake the following procedures:

1. Take all measures to ensure the envelope remains sealed and its contents remain confidential;
2. Assign a file number and record the file number on the envelope;
3. Log the file number together with the date and time received;
4. Forward, forthwith to the Municipal Investigator by regular mail.

For all complaints the municipality shall supply forthwith the following or any other information or documentation as requested by the Meeting Investigator related to a complaint:

• Certified copy of Notice of Meeting
• Certified copy of Agenda
• Certified copy of Minutes of Meeting
• Relevant Resolutions
• Municipal contact list
• Other relevant information as required

Inquiries and complaints may be submitted by telephone to the Provincial Ombudsman at 1-800-263-1830 during regular office hours.

Policy Statement and Rationale

The City of Kawartha Lakes is committed to a consistent and uniform process to respond to complaints received from members of the public regarding programs, facilities, City services, City staff and procedures.  Policy CP2021-028 outlines the process to be followed and service standards for the handling of public complaints.

The City of Kawartha Lakes recognizes the importance of public feedback and welcomes constructive complaints as a valuable form of feedback regarding our services, operations and facilities.  The information gained from complaints helps improve the quality of the services provided by the City and the client experience of residents.

Compliments about City Staff can be made online. Formal complaints about City staff should follow the complaint procedure below.

Scope

This policy applies to:

1. Municipal Employees, excluding the Kawartha Lakes Police Service;
2. Municipal Elected Officials;
3. Council-appointed Boards and Advisory Committees.

This policy applies to complaints that are received online via the City's website, by phone, in person, at a Municipal Service Centre, by email, by mail or by fax.

This policy does not apply to:

• Outside boards and agencies
• Requests for service
• Feedback
• Compliments
• Inquiries
• Anonymous complaints
• Request for accommodations

Complaint Procedure

Complaints must be in writing and signed by the person submitting the complaint. The submission should contain as much detail as possible and should include:

Nature and specific details of Complaint; Location (if applicable); Staff Involved(if applicable); How you would like the matter resolved; and your contact information; and supporting documents including pictures, documents, staff names.

All formal complaints are to be submitted to the Office of the Chief Administrative Officer, clearly marked Privileged and Confidential:

By mail - City of Kawartha Lakes, Chief Administrative Officer, P.O.Box 9000, 26 Francis Street, Lindsay Ontario K9V 5R8

Directly - City of Kawartha Lakes City Hall, Chief Administrative Officer Office, 26 Francis Street, Lindsay Ontario.