BLACK RIVER-MATHESON - Just over one week since its new council was sworn in, Matheson is holding its first meeting to tackle business.
A special meeting is slated for tonight (Sept. 5), with the agenda including a transition letter from the minister's appointee and a closed session to discuss possible litigation affecting the Ontario Labour Board. The letter discusses the township's 2024 budget, which hasn't been approved yet, and integrity commissioner reports.
After the last council was ousted in the spring, the township has been without a sitting council for months. Provincial bureaucrat Kathy Horgan was appointed to make council decisions until new members were elected and sworn in, which happened on Aug. 27.
SEE: Commissioner hopes new members heed lessons from 'truly distressing implosion' of council
Because the inaugural meeting is a ceremony for members to take the oath of office, tonight is the first time they're meeting to discuss business.
Horgan's transition letter to council highlights information she said isn't available through meeting recordings or agendas and minutes that are posted on the municipality’s website.
"I am bringing these matters to your attention because they are important decisions affecting the community or are matters that were brought to me for decisions but were deferred to the new council for action," she wrote.
Some of the key topics mentioned in Horgan's letter include the township's 2024 budgets, the CUPE Local 1490 labour dispute, confidential human resources matters and integrity commissioner reports.
"On July 31, 2024, I received a letter from the integrity commissioner advising that effective nomination day (June 28, 2024) he had terminated all on-going inquiries into the conduct of the former members of council and declined to accept any new requests as permitted by the Municipal Act, 2001. At the time, the integrity commissioner had five requests for inquiry," she wrote.
Horgan also encourages the new council to make the budget its top priority.
For human resources matters, Horgan wants to meet with council this week to give more context about the issues.
During her short tenure, her letter says she dealt with confidential matters related to the township's Workplace Anti Violence Bullying and Harassment and Sexual Harassment policy complaints, as well as Ontario Labour Relations Board filings made under section 50 of the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA).
This specific section of the act deals with reprisals by employers. It says an employer is prohibited from firing or threatening to fire a worker, disciplining or threatening to discipline a worker, impose penalties, or intimidate or coerce a worker because the worker has followed the Act or its regulations.
The full agenda is online here.
The meeting is at 6:30 p.m. Watch the meeting live online here.
