Accountability and Transparency

At the City of St. Catharines, we are committed to making sure that you are aware and informed about the decisions, actions and conduct of elected officials, staff, and members of committees, boards and task forces.

View our Council meetings calendar and read the Council agendas and Council minutes for more information.

Freedom of Information

The Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act establishes a process for the public to gain access to records in the care and control of the City. If you would like access to City records, please contact the City Clerk's Office to determine if a formal request for records is required.

Submit a Freedom of Information Request

To request access to records, please submit a Freedom of Information Request along with the appropriate fee to Legal and Clerks Services on the third floor in City Hall.

A request for information, should contain as much detail as possible about the records including specific dates or timelines, and:

your personal information and that of others, including corrections to your own information.
ensure that proper names are used and where necessary provide supporting documentation.

Please note, as of Jan. 1, 2023 our office will no longer be providing records via email.

Payment and Fees for Freedom of Information Requests

Depending on the complexity of the request, the following fees may apply:

A $5 application fee is required prior to the processing of a request
Documents: $7.50 per quarter hour of search time and preparation
Photocopies are charged at the rate of $0.20 cents per page
USB stick if requesting electronic records, is $10
Courier charges to receive records, will be provided in a future decision letter

Please make your cheque payable to the City of St. Catharines.

How to Appeal a Freedom of Information Request

The Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act allows individuals the right to appeal any decision made by the City relating to access of records or personal information. Appeals are filed with the Information and Privacy Commissioner (IPC) of Ontario.

Code of Conduct for Members of Council

The Mayor, City Councillors and members of the City's Advisory Committees, Boards and Task Forces are expected to meet the highest standards of conduct when carrying out public functions. The standards are set out in the Code of Conduct for Members of Council and the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act.

The Mayor and City Councillors must be professional and follow the Council Code of Conduct and disclose any potential conflicts of interest. Information is listed below on how to file a code of conduct complaint if you believe a member of Council has breached the Code of Conduct.

How to file a Code of Conduct complaint

Informal Code of Conduct Complaints

If you see or know of activity that breaches the Code of Conduct, you are encouraged to following the Informal Complaint Procedure:

Document the incident where the member may have breached the Code of Conduct: include dates, times, locations, other persons present, and any other relevant information;
Advise a third party about the concerns regarding the member's actions;
Advise the member that the behaviour or activity appears to contravene the Code of Conduct;
Identify to the member the specific provision(s) of the Code of Conduct that may have been contravened;
Encourage the member to acknowledge and agree to stop the prohibited behaviour or activity and to undertake to refrain from future occurrences of the prohibited behaviour or activity;
Request the Integrity Commissioner to assist in informal discussion of the alleged complaint with the member in an attempt to settle or resolve the issue;
If applicable: confirm to the member that his or her response is satisfactory, or advise the member that his or her response is unsatisfactory;
Consider the need to pursue the matter in accordance with the Formal Complaint Procedure, or in accordance with any other applicable judicial or quasi-judicial process or complaint procedure.

If both you and the member provide consent to the Integrity Commissioner, they may participate in any informal process. Everyone is encouraged to work with the Integrity Commissioner's potential role as a mediator of issues relating to a complaint.

Formal Code of Conduct Complaints

The City recommends using Informal Complaint Procedure as the first means of remedying behaviour or activity of a member who they believe violates the Code of Conduct. However, you can begin the Formal Complaint Procedure without following the Informal Complaint Procedure.

Submitting a Formal Code of Conduct Complaint

Please complete our Code of Conduct Formal Complaint Form and to submit it to the Office of the Clerk on the third floor of City Hall. You can review the City's Code of Conduct Complaint Protocol for complete details.

Fees for Submitting a Formal Code of Conduct Complaint

When submitting a complaint, you'll need to pay the required administration fee of $38.15. Payment must be made in the Office of the City Clerk when you submit the complaint.

The Integrity Commissioner will not open an investigation until the City receives the appropriate fee.

Integrity Commissioner Reports for Code of Conduct Complaints

2022 Reports

Report 2021-07 & 2022-01 - regarding former Councillor Mat Siscoe and Mayor Walter Sendzik (May 31, 2022)
Report 2021-06 - regarding Councillor Dawn Dodge (April 14, 2022)
Report 2021-05 - regarding Councillor Karrie Porter (March 30, 2022)

2021 Reports

Report 2020-02 - regarding Councillor Karrie Porter (Jan. 7, 2021)
Report 2020-03 - regarding former Councillor Mat Siscoe (Jan. 7, 2021)

Conflicts of Interest

A conflict of interest occurs when a member has any direct, indirect or deemed pecuniary interest involving an item to be discussed by the members of that council, committee, board or task force. For information on Conflicts of Interest, please see the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act.

Members must declare a conflict of interest for item(s) at meetings before the items are discussed. They must submit a written conflict of interest declaration form to the Office of the City Clerk to be captured in public record. After making a declaration, a member cannot participate or vote on the item and cannot seek to influence the item.

Members are responsible for making declarations of interest. Failure to do so can result in the Integrity Commissioner being asked to begin an investigation if a complaint is made and accepted. The Office of the City Clerk records all declared conflicts of interest.

Submitting a Conflict of Interest Complaint

To submit a complaint regarding the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act you must download, complete and submit the City's Application for Inquiry Alleged Contravention of the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act. Please note, completed forms must be submitted in person to the Office of the City Clerk at City Hall. Complete instructions on completing and submitting the form are listed on the form.

Declaration of Interest Registry

Name	Meeting	Date	Item	Nature of Interest
Councillor Mark Stevens	Council (Budget)	Nov. 16, 2022	7.3	Councillor Stevens sits on the board of directors of Crime Stoppers of Niagara, which receives revenues from raffles from River Lions and IceDogs games at Meridian Centre
Councillor Joe Kushner	Council	Dec. 12, 2022	8.1	Councillor Kushner's employer is a partner with Canada Games Park
Councillor Jackie Lindal	Council	Jan. 16, 2023	6.2	Councillor Lindal's son is employed by a hotel owner that submitted the item of correspondence.

Integrity Commissioner Reports for Municipal Conflict of Interest Act Complaints

2022 Reports

Report 2022-01 and 2022-02 - regarding former Councillor Mat Siscoe (May 31, 2022)

Integrity Commissioner

John Mascarin is the City's Integrity Commissioner. The position is appointed by, and reports directly to, City Council. The Integrity Commissioner is responsible for:

Advising Council and committee/board members of their duties under Council's Code of Conduct and the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act.
Deciding whether to investigate complaints about elected officials' conduct.
Making recommendations after an investigation.
Conducting inquiries into alleged contraventions of certain sections of the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act.
Providing educational information to members of Council.

The City's local boards include:

St. Catharines Transit Commission
St. Catharines Public Library
FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre
Niagara District Airport (St. Catharines residents only)

Closed Meetings

There are defined reasons that Council can hold a closed meeting (also known as an “In-Camera” session). These are outlined in section 239 of the Municipal Act. If you believe that a closed meeting discussed an item not covered in the defined exemptions in the act, you can submit a complaint to the Ombudsman. If found to be improper, the Ombudsman can deem the decision invalid.

Ombudsman

The Ontario Ombudsman's jurisdiction includes investigations of the City's administrative functions and services. The Ombudsman's services are intended to be a last resort available when the complainant has exhausted other available complaint mechanisms and reviews available within the municipality.

The Ombudsman can make non-binding recommendations to the municipality to address concerns identified through its investigation.