We hear frustration this week coming from the Municipality of Powassan regarding a just-released report on an investigation into closed meetings by the council there.
The findings of that report are that council is believed to have gone into closed meetings with an inappropriate item once over the course of the confusing process for the much-written about Church of God rental development project.
That this was coming is hardly a surprise after reviewing the sometimes raucous tone of this particular item on the council agenda. After already going to the Ontario Municipal Board, a trip down the street to the Ombudsman Office is hardly a stretch.
That said, we have sympathy for the council and staff of Powassan who we still are confident were doing their best to be transparent in the affairs of the municipality. Throughout their term, like any other council, there have been items that have raised more than the odd eyebrow, but cover-ups or the withholding of information have not been our experience.
Quite the opposite, Powassan has the most thorough agenda packages of any council in Almaguin, and has set the standard for keeping their residents informed about the business being conducted in their chamber.
Likewise, we have worked quite amicably together, whether it has been researching the controversial cell phones council members approved for their own use, or handling any other topic that might be uncomfortable to talk about.
And, this isn’t new. Generally, transparency has been the track record of Powassan for at least the past decade. And thankfully, the Almaguin News has seen no sign of that changing. In fact, we are pleased to see it advancing, with video recordings of council proceedings being available at the Municipal Office.
However, having said that, we also note that the Ombudsman’s Office of Ontario is not some rinky-dink outfit just stumbling along as they go. It should be believed they were professional in their investigation and gave due consideration in their findings.
The Office does not appear to have an axe to grind, just as they do not possess any legislative power to do much about any findings of violations of the Municipal Act other than to make public their report, with suggestions for improvement.
While we understand Powassan’s frustration at the perceived besmirching of their hard-earned reputation, we hope they are not to closed to the report, and accept that there is always room for improvement.
Because, so far, open government, and learning from mistakes, has been their track record.