MBC News file photo
Norfolk County Council has received an Ontario Ombudsman report looking into a closed meeting involving the Forestry Farm Road gas well project.
The investigation followed a complaint about a March 24 meeting, when council went behind closed doors to receive an update on ongoing negotiations related to the project.
The Ombudsman found council was allowed to discuss the matter privately and did not violate the Municipal Act by doing so.
However, the formal resolution to enter closed session did not provide enough information about what would be discussed.
County Clerk William Tigert told council there are no further ramifications, but future resolutions will include more detail to meet the Ombudsman’s recommendation. Staff had already started making those descriptions clearer before the report was released.
The finding comes as communication and transparency at Norfolk County have been topics during recent municipal election debates, with mayoral candidates discussing ways to better inform and engage residents.
Council received the report Tuesday and agreed to provide more information in future closed-session resolutions while still protecting confidential matters.
Written by Jeremy Hall
