Integrity Commissioner Warns Local Councils: Don’t Cross the Line Between Oversight and Interference
Grey County saw no integrity complaints, but a new report warns Ontario councils about overstepping into staff roles and urges vigilance on ethical conduct.
A new Integrity Commissioner’s report on the May 22, 2025, Grey County Council agenda highlights a growing concern across Ontario: elected officials crossing into administrative territory that should be left to municipal staff.
No complaints were filed in Grey County during the 19-month reporting period ending April 30, 2025.
Still, the Commissioner issued a province-wide caution about councillors and mayors overstepping their roles—particularly by attempting to direct staff, intervene in operational matters, or influence quasi-judicial processes such as by-law enforcement and insurance claims.
“Elected officials—even Heads of Council—have no role in the day-to-day administration of municipal government unless specifically authorized by statute,” the report states.
The report, authored by Principles Integrity, stresses that elected officials should guide constituents through established channels, not act as advocates or decision-makers in staff-driven processes. Even mayors, it says, are bound by role clarity unless otherwise granted authority under legislation.
“Members of Council serve an important role in putting constituents in touch with appropriate staff, and leading them to established processes, but it is important to strike the correct balance between guiding constituents and becoming their advocate,” the report notes.
The warning arrives just as municipalities across Ontario grapple with the expansion of Strong Mayor Powers, effective May 1, 2025. In Owen Sound, the new powers have already been formally rejected at the local level.
In a move aligning with other municipal leaders, such as Blue Mountains Mayor Andrea Matrosovs, Owen Sound Mayor Ian Boddy signed three “Mayoral Decisions” that return key powers granted to him under the province’s new legislation back to council and the City Manager.
The decisions, appearing on the May 12 council agenda, delegate:
Authority over the City Manager (formerly CAO) back to council;
Control of the City’s organizational structure to the City Manager;
The ability to form and assign council-only committees back to council.
Boddy’s move follows a unanimous council vote on April 28 requesting that the province remove the city from the list of designated strong mayor municipalities.
The Commissioner’s report notes Grey County’s clean record during the reporting period, with no complaints filed and six advice requests submitted. However, the report also raises broader red flags that remain relevant:
Breaches of confidentiality, especially in closed sessions, are considered serious ethical failures;
Disparaging or disrespectful communication, even on personal or social media accounts, may still violate codes of conduct;
Conflicts of interest, especially those not explicitly defined in legislation, are a frequent source of confusion and require careful navigation.
Although these cautions are drawn from other Ontario municipalities, they serve as reminders that even well-governed councils must stay vigilant as local and provincial expectations evolve.
The report also flags pending provincial changes that could reshape how municipal ethics are enforced. A 2024 bill proposed a universal code of conduct and a mechanism to remove council members from office in serious cases. While the bill stalled after the election, its intent suggests that ethics reform remains on the province’s agenda.
Source: Grey County Periodic Report April 2025 Principles Integrity Report