Township of Severn is committed to transparency and holding elected officials accountable. We do this by publically publishing our Council meeting minutes, budget and financial statements and municipal reports, plans and studies. 

Closed meeting investigator

The Ontario Ombudsman acts as the closed meeting investigator for the Township of Severn. Please view the Ombudsman's Open Meetings Guide for Municipalities to learn more about the open meeting rules.

If you believe that the Township of Severn didn't follow the closed meeting procedures outlined in Section 238 and 239 of the Municipal Act, you can make a complaint to the Ombudsman who will complete an independent investigation into the matter. Please complete the online Closed Meeting Investigation Request to submit your complaint.

Integrity Commissioner

Suzanne Craig acts as the Integrity Commissioner for the Township of Severn.

They're responsible for providing advice, information and guidance around:

You can contact the Integrity Commission by email.

Their mailing address is:

Suzanne Craig
Township of Severn
PO Box 159
Orillia, Ontario
L3V 6J3

Duties and responsibilities

The Integrity Commissioner is an independent resource who reports to Council and who is responsible for performing the following functions:

  • provide advice on the application of the Code of Conduct and on Township policies, procedures, protocols and rules relating to the ethical conduct of members and the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act
  • to conduct inquiries in response to a complaint regarding whether members of Council have contravened the Code of Conduct, Township policies, procedure, protocols and rules related to the ethical conduct of members of the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act
  • to provide opinions on policy matters and make other reports to Council as requested on issues of ethics and integrity
  • to provide educational information and training to Council, to members and to the public on matters related to the Code of Conduct and issues of ethics and integrity and to the Municipal Freedom of Interest Act
  • to provide general information to members of the public, on request, about the Code of Conduct, the Complaint Protocol and the availability of complaint resolution services or referrals as contemplated by the Complaint Protocol
  • to provide such other services respecting ethical and integrity matters as assigned by Council or as may be required under the Municipal Act, with respect to the ethical conduct and behaviour of members of Council and local boards

Disclosure of pecuniary interests

Councillors are required to disclose any pecuniary interests in order to maintain transparency and accountability. You can access any disclosures through our Conflict of Interest Registry.