In accordance with sections 239(2) and 239(3) of the Municipal Act, S.O. 2001, c. 25, a meeting, or part of a meeting may be closed to the public if the subject matter being considered is:
a) the security of the property of the municipality or local board;
b) personal matters about an identifiable individual, including municipal or local board employees;
c) a proposed or pending acquisition or disposition of land by the municipality or local board;
d) labour relations or employee negotiations;
e) litigation or potential litigation, including matters before administrative tribunals, affecting the municipality or local board;
f) advice that is subject to solicitor-client privilege, including communications necessary for that purpose;
g) a matter in respect of which a council, board, committee or other body may hold a closed meeting under another Act;
h) information explicitly supplied in confidence to the municipality or local board by Canada, a province or territory or a Crown agency of any of them;
i) a trade secret or scientific, technical, commercial, financial or labour relations information, supplied in confidence to 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;
j) a trade secret or scientific, technical, commercial or financial information that belongs to the municipality or local board and has monetary value or potential monetary value;
k) 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;
l) a request under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, if the council, board, commission or other body is the head of an institution for the purposes of that Act;
m) an ongoing investigation respecting the municipality, a local board or a municipally-controlled corporation by the Ombudsman appointed under the Ombudsman Act, an Ombudsman referred to in subsection 223.13 (1) of the Municipal Act, or the investigator referred to in subsection 239.2 (1) of the Municipal Act;
n) educational or training of the members where 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.
Council & Committee Meetings
View our City Calendar for upcoming meetings.
Quick links:
Closed Meetings of Council, Committees and Local Boards
Section 239 of the Municipal Act, 2001 permits closed meetings of City Council, a local board or a committee of either, to discuss the following:
Closed Meetings of Council, Committees and Local Boards
In order to close a meeting to the public, City Council, Committee or the local board must state by resolution that a closed meeting will be held and the general nature of the matter to be considered at the closed meeting.
Closed Meeting Investigator
The Municipal Act requires a municipality to appoint a closed meeting investigator to investigate complaints as to whether a municipality has complied with the requirements of Section 239 of the Act regarding open meeting requirements.
Any person may request an investigation as to whether a municipality or local board has complied with the statutory requirements outlined in the Municipal Act or its procedural by-law with respect to meetings being held in Public.
The Municipal Act, 2001 requires that municipalities have a process to investigate closed meeting complaints, including an officer to undertake the investigation. City Council approved Local Authority Services Inc. to conduct the investigations.
The investigator is completely independent and arms-length from the City and City Council and will report on their findings directly to City Council.
Requests for Closed Meeting Investigations
Anyone wishing to file a closed meeting complaint may submit a Meeting Investigation Request Form to the City Clerk:
Jennifer Shaw, City Clerk
City of Cambridge
50 Dickson Street
Cambridge, Ontario
Email: shawj@cambridge.ca
All requests will be forwarded to the Meetings Investigator and treated as confidential.
The Meetings Investigator will decide whether an investigation is warranted and if so, conduct the investigation and submit their findings and recommendations to an open meeting of City Council or the local board.
Open Public Meetings
Cambridge City Council meets in the Council Chambers on the third floor of City Hall at:
46 Dickson Street
Cambridge, ON N1R 1T7
Normally these meetings begin at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesdays, in a three-week cycle. View our City Calendar for information about:
- Upcoming meeting dates and times
- Meeting Agendas
- Minutes from previous meetings
Please note that meeting times are subject to change. You can confirm meeting dates and times with the City Clerk's Office.
Council and Committee Meetings are live-streamed on the City's YouTube Channel.
FM Assistive Listening Devices are available for use in the Council Chambers. Members of the public who attend meetings in Council Chambers can use one of these listening devices on a sign-out basis.
What does Council discuss in their meetings?
City Council directly considers all tenders, quotes, contracts, proclamations, endorsements and appointments. Council also considers matters requiring immediate attention due to time constraints.
Council is responsible for setting the policies of the City of Cambridge and approves recommendations made by various committees through by-laws and resolutions. The Mayor is the Head of Council. The Mayor or a majority of Council members may call special meetings, if required.
What does the Planning - Statutory Public Meeting Committee discuss?
A Planning - Statutory Public meeting allows Council to make local planning decisions within the timelines outlined in the Planning Act. Statutory Public meetings provide the public with an opportunity to give feedback on proposed developments.
