Guidelines for attending council and committee meetings

Members of the media and the general public who are interested in attending a Council or City Committee meeting are invited to review the following guidelines.

Access to Meetings
The media and members of the public are welcome to attend all public meetings of the Council and its committees, ad hoc task forces and working groups. The City will make every effort to provide the media and members of the public with seating space in the Council Chambers and other public meeting rooms, recognizing that seating availability might occasionally be impacted by the volume of outside delegations and staff in attendance at a meeting.

Media Seating – Council Chambers
Media have been provided with designated seating in Council Chambers, to the left of the Public Gallery.

Council Chambers Protocol

While Council is in session:

• The use of cell phones is not permitted.
• Conversations with councillors and staff seated at the tables are not permitted.
• Any discussions amongst media or the attendees in the public gallery should be conducted quietly so as to not interrupt or disturb the Council session.
• Dress should consist of appropriate, respectful clothing.
• Beverages such as water and coffee are permitted. Food should not be brought into the Council Chambers.
• Laptop computers and handheld devices, such as smartphones, are permitted in the meeting rooms provided that the equipment is completely muted and does not occupy space otherwise required for a meeting participant or audience member.

Photography/Videography
Audio and videotape recording of public meetings is permitted, under the following guidelines:

• Walking on the Council floor for the purposes of a photograph, video taping, etc. is not permitted. (For greater clarity, the Council floor is the area around where the members of Council and staff sit). Cameras and video cameras can be used in the floor area near the entrances into the Council Chambers.
• All recording equipment must be completely muted and operated in a manner which does not interfere with the audience’s or participants’ ability to hear or view the meeting proceedings
• Recording equipment must not interfere with corporate computer/AV systems
• Recording must not compromise confidential materials or discussions

Interviewing of Councillors, Delegations, etc.
Media interviews may not be conducted in meeting rooms while meetings are in progress, or in areas immediately outside meeting rooms where meetings are in progress, in order to avoid disruption to meeting proceedings.

Closed Sessions
The public, including media, are not permitted to attend closed sessions of the Municipal Council or its committees due to the confidential nature of the matters being discussed at these sessions. Media must remove themselves and all of their equipment and personal effects from the meeting room, in a timely way, when a meeting is moving into closed session. For more information on closed sessions of Council, click here.

Media Access to City Staff, Facilities and Work Locations
The media are expected to conduct themselves in accordance with the following guidelines when visiting City of Cornwall facilities and work locations:

• No media may enter any City facility or work location which is not normally accessible to the general public, without providing satisfactory identification and receiving clearance from the appropriate City of Cornwall manager.
• Photo shoots, film shoots, or interviewing of staff at any City facility or work location must be pre-arranged through the appropriate City manager.
• No media shall photograph or film any employee in non-public areas at City Hall or its facilities if, for personal or other reasons, he or she does not wish to appear in a photograph, video or film. This also applies to others who may be present including, for example, a customer or supplier.
• No media shall conduct themselves in a manner which is disruptive or otherwise poses a safety or security risk at City facilities or work locations.

The City of Cornwall has established the role of an Integrity Commissioner, an independent and impartial position that reports directly to Council and whose powers and duties are set out in the Municipal Act, 2001.  Pursuant to Section 223.3 of the Act, Council appointed Tony Fleming of Cunningham Swan, Carty, Little & Bonham LLP as the City's Integrity Commissioner who handles complaints/concerns.

Mr. Fleming can be contacted as follows:

tfleming@cswan.com or 613-546-8096

• The security of the property of the municipality or local board
• Personal matters about an identifiable individual, including municipal or local board employees
• A proposed or pending acquisition or disposition of land by the municipality or local board
• Labour relations or employee negotiations
• Litigation or potential litigation, including matters before administrative tribunals, affecting the municipality or local board
• Advice that is subject to solicitor-client privilege, including communications necessary for that purpose
• A matter in respect of which a council, board, committee or other body may hold a closed meeting under another Act
• Information that has been explicitly supplied in confidence to the municipality or local board
• A trade secret or scientific, technical, commercial, financial or labour relations information, supplied in confidence with the municipality or local board which, if disclosed, could reasonably be expected to prejudice significantly the competitive position or interfere significantly with the contractual or other negotiations of a person, group of persons or organization
• A trade secret or scientific, technical, commercial, financial or labour relations information that belongs to the municipality or local board and has monetary value or potential monetary value
• A position, plan, procedure, criteria or instruction to be applied to any negotiations carried on or to be carried on by or on behalf of the municipality or local board

In addition, meetings of a municipal council, a local board or a committee may be closed to the public if:

• The meeting is held for the purpose of educating or training the members
• At the meeting, no member discusses or otherwise deals with any matter in a way that materially advances the business or decision-making of the council, local board, or committee
• The subject matter relates to the consideration of a request under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act and the council, board, commission or other body is the head of an institution for the purposes of that Act.

In order to close a meeting to the public, Council must state by resolution that a closed meeting will be held and state the general nature of the matter to be considered at the closed meeting. The Municipal Act also imposes certain restrictions on a meeting that is held without the public present by requiring that no vote be taken on any matter unless the vote is for a procedural matter, or for the giving of directions or instructions to the officers of the municipality.

It is the duty of the Clerk to record, without note or comment, all resolutions, decisions and other proceedings of the Council.

Section 239 of the Municipal Act provides for the investigation of whether a municipality has complied with the requirements for the holding of meetings that are closed to the public.

The City of Cornwall strives to ensure that closed meeting investigations are dealt with in a fair, open and expeditious manner.

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

Anyone wishing to make a complaint regarding a closed meeting may complete the Closed Meeting Investigations Complaint Form online or mail it to the Ombudsman's Office:

Office of the Ombudsman of Ontario
Bell Trinity Square
483 Bay Street, 10th Floor, South Tower
Toronto, ON  
M5G 2C9

Click on the following links for more information:

• Ombudsman Ontario
• Ombudsman Closed Meeting Complaint Form