Council

Mayor Murray Fearrey

Municipality of Dysart et al

135 Maple Avenue, P.O. Box 389

Haliburton, Ontario K0M 1S0

Email: mfearrey@dysartetal.ca 

Phone: (705) 457-6423

Municipality of Dysart et al

135 Maple Avenue, P.O. Box 389

Haliburton, Ontario K0M 1S0

Email: wmckechnie@dysartetal.ca 

Phone: (705) 854-0987 

Municipality of Dysart et al

135 Maple Avenue, P.O. Box 389

Haliburton, Ontario K0M 1S0

Email: pcasey@dysartetal.ca

Phone: (705) 457-8473

Municipality of Dysart et al

135 Maple Avenue, P.O. Box 389

Haliburton, Ontario K0M 1S0

Email: nwood-roberts@dysartetal.ca

Phone: (705) 455-2070 

Municipality of Dysart et al

135 Maple Avenue, P.O. Box 389

Haliburton, Ontario K0M 1S0

Email: tdonaldson@dysartetal.ca

Phone: (705) 457-6325 

Municipality of Dysart et al

135 Maple Avenue, P.O. Box 389

Haliburton, Ontario K0M 1S0

Email: csawyer@dysartetal.ca 

Phone: (705) 854-2401

Municipality of Dysart et al

135 Maple Avenue, P.O. Box 389

Haliburton, Ontario K0M 1S0

Email: bboice@dysartetal.ca 

Phone: (705) 457-0906

Each delegation is limited to a speaking time of ten (10) minutes.

Tips for presenting at a Council or Committee meeting:

• Be succinct and limit your deputation to 10 minutes or less;
• Provide background and supporting information in writing in advance of the meeting for inclusion on the Council agenda. This information should clearly explain the topic you wish to speak to;
• Highlight your key points for consideration;
• Be specific about what you are asking for; and
• Address Council through the Chair (Mayor).

All meetings are open to the public unless a resolution is passed to have a Closed Session in accordance with Section 239 of the Municipal Act, 2001.

Deliver and address your letter to:

Municipal Clerk

Municipality of Dysart et al

135 Maple Avenue, P.O. Box 389

Haliburton, Ontario K0M 1S0

You may also fax your letter to (705) 457-1964 or email it to the Municipal Clerk.

Letter Guidelines:

Your letter should include the following:

• Your name and address;
• A date and signature;
• A formal request for the letter to be placed on a future agenda;
• A brief overview of the specific topic; and
• An overview of past interactions with staff on the matter (if any).

Please note that all correspondence submitted to the Municipality will form part of the public record and will become a public document.

There may be occasions when your letter is not placed on the next agenda. This may be because:

• The subject matter of your letter involves an insurance claim;
• The subject matter of your letter involves pending or current litigation;
• Staff are preparing a report in response to your concerns and your letter will be placed on the same agenda as the staff report;
• Your letter is being forwarded to a Committee of Council, as it may be more appropriate for the Committee to hear your concerns first;
• Your letter contains information which is not suitable for a public agenda and will be dealt with on a confidential basis;
• Your letter was not legible or contained vulgar language;
• Your letter contains a request for service that can be dealt with by staff as part of normal municipal operations; or
• Your letter is addressing concerns outside of the jurisdiction of Dysart et al. 

Petitions are to be delivered to the Clerk by 12:00 noon, seven (7) calendar days before the subject meeting. Late petitions not relating to an item on the meeting agenda will be placed on the next available meeting of Council or Committee of Council with few exceptions (See “Petition Procedure” below).

Deliver and address your petition to:

Municipal Clerk

Municipality of Dysart et al

135 Maple Avenue, P.O. Box 389

Haliburton, Ontario K0M 1S0

You may also fax your petition to (705) 457-1964 or email it to the Municipal Clerk. If sending the petition by fax or email, please deliver or mail the originals for the public record.

Petition Guidelines:

Petitions must contain:

• at least two (2) original signatures;
• the 'petition request' at the top of each page of signatures;
• the first and last name of each signer;
• contact information for each signer; and
• contact information for the organizer of the petition.

Duplicate signatures and signatures without contact information must be redacted by the individual or group submitting the petition or it will not be accepted by the Clerk nor presented to Council. Contact information can include either the mailing address, phone number or valid email address of the signatory. Using the Petition Template prepared by the Clerk's Office is a good way to ensure that your petition contains all the requirements.

Petition Procedure:

At the meeting, Council (or the committee) may make the following motions with the petition:

• receive the petition (meaning that the Municipality will take no action on this issue other than filing the information in the public record);
• refer the matter to staff or a Committee of Council consideration; or
• direct staff to report back to Council or Committee.

No other motions will be permitted regarding a petition.

The Clerk will refuse to put a petition on the agenda where the petition request:

• involves current or pending litigation;
• involves insurance claims;
• involves administrative complaints that have not been reported to the appropriate staff members;
• is beyond the jurisdiction of Council; or
• is contrary to the provisions of the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.

Petition Privacy:

Signatories to a petition waive the expectation of privacy as a result of the petition being created for review by the general public.

Municipal staff will redact contact information for the public agenda but the petition will be available for public viewing at the Municipal Office in its entirety. Names and signatures will not be redacted. It is the responsibility of the petition organizer(s) to advise signatories that their name, signature and contact information will become part of the public record.

The Petition Template prepared by the Clerk's Office includes a disclaimer that notes this waiver of privacy.

The Integrity Commissioner  provides  confidential  written and oral advice to the Mayor, Councillors and Committee appointees (as applicable) about their own situations respecting the Code of Conduct for Elected or Appointed Officials and other By-Laws, policies and procedures governing ethical behavior, including general advice about the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act.

The Integrity Commissioner also provides opinions and reports to Council on issues of ethics and integrity.

Complaints  about breaches of the Code of Conduct or contraventions to the Municipal Conflict of lnterest Act (MCIA) are made to the Integrity Commissioner  pursuant to the Council approved Complaint Protocol. Complaints can be dealt with through a formal or informal process.

Please Note: General complaints, staffing complaints, Municipal Law Enforcement concerns and Closed Meeting Investigations are not the responsibility of the Integrity Commissioner.

Informal Complaints

Anyone who has identified or witnessed behaviour or an activity by a member of Council or a local board that he/she believes is in contravention of the Code of Conduct for Elected or Appointed Officials or the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act may informally address their concern as follows:

1. Advise the member that their behaviour or activity appears to contravene the applicable standard;
2. Encourage the member to stop the prohibited behaviour or activity;
3. Keep a written record of the incidents including dates, times, locations, other persons present, and any other relevant information;
4. If applicable, confirm to the member your satisfaction or dissatisfaction with his/her response to your concern cited in #1
5. Consider the need to pursue the matter in accordance with a formal inquiry procedure detailed below.

Formal Complaints

Formal complaints must be sent directly to the Integrity Commissioner using either the Code of Conduct Complaint Form or the Municipal Conflict of Interest (MCIA) Complaint Form. The affidavit may be sworn by any Commissioner for Taking Affidavits in Ontario. 

Should the Integrity Commissioner find a contravention, they can recommend various penalties for imposition by Council. The available penalties range from suspension of remuneration to a reprimand or apology.

Tony E. Fleming with Cunningham, Swan, Carty, Little & Bonham LLP

27 Princess Street, Suite 300

Kingston, ON K7L 1A3

Tel: 613-544-0211

Email: tfleming@cswan.com

Members of the public, including corporations, may submit requests through the Municipal Clerk relating to compliance with the Municipal Act, 2001 for meetings or part of meetings that are closed to the public.

The identity of the requestor will be treated as confidential by the Municipality and the Investigator, unless authorization is given by the requestor to release their identity.

Click this link to access the Closed Meeting Investigation Request Form. A hardcopy version can also be requested in person at the Municipal Office.

Requests can be emailed, mailed or hand delivered to:

Municipal Clerk

Municipality of Dysart et al

135 Maple Avenue, P.O. Box 389

Haliburton, Ontario K0M 1S0

Click here to email the Municipal Clerk

All complaints must contain the following information:

• The name of the Municipality;
• Requestor’s name, mailing address, telephone number, and email address;
• Date of the closed meeting under consideration;
• Nature and background of the particular occurrence;
• Any activities undertaken to resolve the concern;
• Any other relevant information; 
• Direction with respect to release of identity; and
• Original signature

The Closed Meeting Investigation Process

Once the request is received by the Clerk, the following procedures will be enacted:

• Ensure that the requests remain confidential
• Assign a file number and record that number on the request
• Forward the request to the Municipal Closed Meeting Investigator by regular mail

For all requests, the Municipality shall supply the Investigator with the following information or documentation as requested by the Investigator related to a complaint:

• Certified copy of Notice of Meeting
• Certified copy of the agenda
• Certified copy of the minutes of the meeting
• Relevant resolutions
• Municipal contact list
• Any other documents requested
• Other Resources