The Municipal Act, 2001 (the Act) provides that the Town may establish a Council Code of Conduct (the "Code") which outlines ethical standards of behaviour for Members of Council and Local Boards. The Town of Stouffville has appointed an Integrity Commissioner to ensure that members of Council and local boards and committees are adhering to the Council Code of Conduct. The Integrity Commissioner is responsible for:

• Upon their request, advising Members of Council, and Council as a whole, on their obligations and responsibilities under the Code of Conduct, and any other legislation, rule or policy governing their ethical behaviour;
• Receiving, assessing and, where appropriate, investigating complaints made by Council, a Member of Council, a staff member or a member of the public, on an alleged breach of the Code of Conduct;
• Determining whether and how investigations will be conducted;
• Reporting back to Council on whether an investigation's findings confirm a breach of the Code of Conduct; and
• Publishing an annual report that summarizes complaints received.

The Integrity Commissioner is independent of Council and staff. The Integrity Commissioner is not responsible for investigating the actions of Town staff. Complaints regarding the conduct of staff are handled in accordance with the Public Complaint Handling Policy. To submit a complaint or compliment for staff, please visit our Contact Us page.

Members of the public, Stouffville Council, and other Town employees have the right to file a complaint with the Integrity Commissioner. The authority of the Integrity Commissioner is detailed in the complaint protocol, which outlines the types of complaints that the Integrity Commissioner will investigate. For instance, allegations that violate the Criminal Code of Canada are considered police matters and will not be investigated by the Integrity Commissioner.

If you have noticed behaviour from a member of Council or a local board or committee that violates the Code of Conduct, Municipal Conflict of Interest Act or any other policy governing ethical behaviour, you can file a complaint either informally or formally. Please note that the complaint protocol does not permit anonymous complaints or the withholding of the complainant’s name from the Council Member involved.

While not required, we encourage you to submit an informal complaint before proceeding to a formal complaint. For more information on the process for both informal and formal complaints, refer to the Complaint Protocol.