INTEGRITY COMMISSIONER

The Municipal Act permits Council to appoint an Integrity Commissioner who performs specified functions regarding the application of the municipality's Code of Conduct which applies to all members of Council and members appointed to Boards and Committees to promote accountability and transparency in municipal governance. As of November 8, 2022, Michael Maynard has been appointed as the Integrity Commissioner for the Township of Armour.

The Integrity Commissioner's role is to:

Ensure that members perform their functions in accordance with the code of conduct and other procedures, rules or policies governing their ethical behaviour;
Provide advice and rulings on ethical challenges, issues and dilemmas, upon request of council or a member of council;
Deliver an oral presentation to members of council regarding the role of the Integrity Commissioner and ethical obligations and responsibilities of each member of council under the code of conduct and any other procedures, rules or policies governing their ethical behaviour;
Function independently from staff and report to council;
Investigate complaints and alleged breaches of the council code of conduct;
Review the council code of conduct and make recommendations for improvements;
Serve as an advisor to individual members of council with respect to the council code of conduct, and any procedures, rules and policies of the municipality governing the ethical behaviour, as well as associated policies and by-laws;
Prepare and deliver an annual report to council containing a summary of activities, if any, during the previous calendar year; and
Serve as a proactive educator for council, staff and the public with respect to ethical behaviour for council members.

All complaints will be treated as confidential and will go to the Clerk and then directly to the Integrity Commissioner, Michael Maynard.

POLICIES AND FORMS

PROCESSES

INFORMAL COMPLAINT PROCEDURE:

The informal complaint procedure allows the Integrity Commissioner to have an informal discussion with the Member of Council to resolve the issue.

If the Integrity Commissioner determines the complaint is legitimate and the code has been violated, the informal process begins. This procedure involves:

Advising the Council Member that he or she has violated a section of the code;
Encouraging the Council Member to stop all actions or activities violating the code;
Keeping a written record of the incidents that occurred, including steps taken to resolve the matter; and
Sharing the Integrity Commissioner's satisfaction or dissatisfaction with the Council Member’s response to the complaint identified.

If an informal resolution is unsuccessful, a formal complaint process is followed.

FORMAL COMPLAINT PROCEDURE:

Individuals who would like to make a formal complaint can do so by following the complaint protocol and submitting a signed Complaint Form Affidavit to the Clerk. Once submitted, it is filed with the Clerk and then forwarded to the Integrity Commissioner.

All formal complaints must be made using the Complaint Form Affidavit;
All names of the complainant and alleged Council Member(s) must be provided;
An explanation outlining the alleged violation is required; and
Any witnesses or evidence in support of a complaint is required.

The Integrity Commissioner will determine if the complaint violates the code and may request additional information. The elected official is then given a copy of the complaint and asked to respond in writing, with a copy of this response provided to the complainant. The process can include an interview between the complainant and Integrity Commissioner.

Within 90 days of filing the complaint, the Integrity Commissioner will submit a report to Council detailing violations of the code and her recommendations. Once the report has been reviewed, Council will determine what actions will be taken.