Town of Espanola

The Ombudsman received a complaint in May 2021 that a quorum of council for the Town of Espanola, made up of the Mayor and three councillors, improperly met on January 31, 2019 behind closed doors after the regular council meeting had concluded, contrary to the Municipal Act, 2001. The complaint alleged that by further discussing one of the topics from that evening’s open meeting, the Mayor and three councillors materially advanced council business or decision-making.

The Ombudsman’s review determined that although a quorum of council was present, they discussed a matter that council had already voted upon in open session, the discussion did not result in any further decision being made or action taken, and council never revisited or reconsidered the topic again. The Ombudsman found that since the discussion did not materially advance the business or decision-making of council, the gathering was not a “meeting” under the Act.

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