Council

Council meetings are held the first Wednesday of the month starting at 9:30 a.m. and the third Wednesday of the month starting at 6:00 p.m. In the months of July and August, Council meets once a month at a time decided by Council. Meetings are held in the Council Chambers at the Township Municipal Office at 163 Brock Street, Thamesford. Map it using Google Maps website. 

Occasionally, special meetings of Council may be called. Notice of special meetings will be posted on the Township website.

Township Council is the elected governing body of the municipality. Township of Zorra Council consists of the Mayor and 4 Councillors, one elected to each of the 4 wards in the Township. Members of Council are elected for a four year term of office. The current term began on November 16, 2022 and will continue until November 15, 2026. 

Council has legislative and executive responsibilities for conducting the business of the municipality. Council must deal with broad based matters such as policy direction that influences future growth and development, and they must also make decisions on more specific, immediate issues affecting the day to day operations of the municipality. Township Council is responsible to all the citizens of the Township and must weigh each of its decisions with this in mind. Councillors are responsible to their local constituents under the ward system; however, they must carefully consider the concerns expressed by all parties. The goal of Council is to keep the decision making process as transparent as possible to meet the needs of the entire community and act in the best interests of the Township as a whole.

 Council meetings are open to the general public. There is a seating area located in the Council Chambers for members of the public to observe the meetings. Members of the public are asked to refrain from addressing Council members during the meeting. Members of the public are invited to participate in the meeting during the Public Meetings session when matters related to land use planning or drainage works are scheduled or by contacting the Clerk by 12:00 p.m. on the day prior to the meeting to speak to an item on the Council agenda.

Council is required from time to time to adjourn the public portion of the Council meeting and move into a Closed Meeting session.  Members of the public will be asked to leave the Council Chambers during this time period.  A closed meeting session is required for Council to discuss a variety of issues that could include: the security of the property of the municipality; personal matters about identifiable individuals including municipal employees; proposed or pending acquisitions of land for municipal purposes; litigation or potential litigation: and matters relating to the consideration of a request under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.

In most cases, citizen concerns can be resolved by Township staff. If the appropriate municipal staff cannot resolve your issue, they can usually provide advice about the appropriate next steps to take, one of which could be to appear before Township Council as a delegation.   
Anyone who wishes to make a presentation to Council is required to make an appointment by contacting the Clerk who will advise of the best date and time to make a presentation. If there are multiple delegates wishing to address an issue, the Clerk may encourage them to select one spokesperson to present their views within the allotted time frame. Any documentation to be presented should be delivered to the Township Office by the Wednesday before the the meeting for inclusion in the distributed Council package. Delegations are permitted to speak for only 15 minutes, but may extend their speaking time with the permission of Council.

Anyone wishing to speak to an item on a published agenda may do so by contacting the Clerk no later than 12:00 p.m. on the day prior to the Council meeting. Delegations speaking to an agenda item shall be limited to three (3) minutes and Council will not ask questions or enter into a debate or discussion at this time, on the subject matter of the delegation.

As a delegation, you should not speak disrespectfully of any person, use offensive words, speak on any subject other than the subject for which you have received approval, disobey any decision of the Mayor, or enter into cross debate with other delegations, staff, or Members of Council. 

For more information about Council Delegations, please contact our Clerk at 519-485-2490 ext 7228.

The Integrity Commissioner is an independent and impartial position that reports directly to Council and whose powers and duties are set out in the Municipal Act, 2001. 

Responsibilities of the Integrity Commissioner include:

• Investigate complaints and alleged breaches of the Code of Conduct for Members of Council.
• Review the Code of Conduct for Members of Council and make recommendations on an annual basis.
• Keep officials aware of the requirements of the Code of Conduct
• Provide written or oral advice to individual members of Council regarding general interpretation of the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act.
• Serve as an advisor to individual Members of Council in relation to the Code of Conduct and any procedures, rules and policies of the municipality governing ethical behaviour, and act as a proactive educator for Council, Administration and the public.
• Provide reports to Council.
• Provide individual investigative reports, as required, which will include background concerning a complaint and recommendations to Municipal Council with respect to a complaint.

Complaint Process

1. A request for an investigation of a Complaint that a Member has contravened the Code shall be sent directly to the Integrity Commissioner by mail, email, fax, or courier and shall be in writing. A completed Code of Conduct for Council Complaint Form, setting out the evidence in support of the allegation, must be included.
2. All Complaints must be sent by an identifiable individual.
3. A Complaint shall set out reasonable and probable grounds for the allegation that a Member has contravened the Code of Conduct and shall include the name of the Member, the provisions of the Code allegedly contravened, the facts supporting the allegations, the names and contact information of any witnesses and contact information for the complainant.
4. Municipal Council may by motion file a Complaint or request an investigation of one of its Members.

The Integrity Commissioner shall report to the Complainant and the Member generally no later than ninety (90) days after the investigation has been commenced. If the process takes longer than ninety (90) days, the Integrity Commissioner shall inform the Complainant and the Member and provide an estimate of the expected time.

Contact Information

Code of Conduct complaints and Municipal Conflict of Interest Act applications:
Meghan Cowan 
Telephone 416-865-4722
Email mcowan@airdberlis.com
Administrative Assistant: Megan Stevens 416-863-1500 Ext. 2528

Closed meeting investigation requests:
John Mascarin
Telephone 416-865-7721
Email jmascarin@airdberlis.com
Administrative Assistant: Katie MacDonald 416-865-7789 Ext. 3169

Election Blackout Period

No investigation shall be commenced or continued, nor shall the Integrity Commissioner report to Council respecting an investigation, within the election period described within Section 223.4 of the Municipal Act, except as described in those sections.

According to Section 239 of the Municipal Act, 2001, all meetings of Council and Boards must be open to the public. A meeting or part of a meeting may be closed to the public if the subject matter falls under one of exemptions of the Act.

Any person or corporation may request that an investigation of whether a municipality or local board has contravened the provisions of the Municipal Act or the Municipal Procedural By-law for meetings or part of meetings that are closed to the public. All requests for closed meeting investigations must be submitted using the Closed Meeting Investigation Form and can be completed digitally or a hardcopy version can be requested at the Township Office. The identity of the requestor will be treated confidential by the Municipality and the Investigator, unless authorization is given by the requestor to release his or her identity. 

For assistance regarding a closed meeting investigation, please contact the Township Clerk, Karen Martin by email or by telephone at 519-485-2490 ext. 7228.

Closed Meeting Investigator

Section 239.2 (1) of the Municipal Act 2001, S.O. 2001, c. 25, as amended, authorizes the municipality to appoint an investigator who has the function to investigate in an independent manner, on a complaint made to him or her by any person, whether the municipality or a local board has complied with Section 239 or a procedure by-law under Subsection 238 (2) in respect of a meeting or part of a meeting that was closed to the public, and to report on the investigation. The Closed Meeting Investigator for the Township of Zorra is Mr. Robert J. Swayze. Mr. Swayze will take complaints regarding closed meetings directly from the public or forwarded by Township Staff.

Contact Information

Robert J. Swayze
Integrity Commissioner
20736 Mississauga Road
Caledon, ON  L7K 1M7
Tel: 519-942-0070
Fax: 519-942-1233
Email: robert.swayze39@gmail.com

Complaint reports

The Township of Zorra is committed to sharing the outcome of investigations into complaints about accountability and transparency matters, as per Section 239.2 (11) of the Municipal Act, any reports will be posted here.