Closed meetings of Council and Committees

At the City of Mississauga, most meetings of City Council or its Committees are open to the public. At times, the City will hold ‘Closed Meetings’ to avoid revealing confidential information.

According to theĀ Municipal Act 2001, a meeting can be a Closed Meeting, not open to the public, if it discusses any of the following:

  • Security of the property of the municipality
  • Considering personal information about an identifiable individual
  • Acquisition or disposal of land
  • Labour relations or employee negotiations
  • Litigation or pending litigation, including matters before administrative tribunals
  • Receiving of advice that is subject to solicitor-client privilege
  • Education or training of the members, so long as no decision-making is advanced
  • Information explicitly supplied in confidence to the municipality or local board by Canada, a province or territory or a Crown agency of any of them
  • A trade secret or scientific, technical, commercial, financial or labour relations information, supplied in confidence to the municipality or local board, which, if disclosed, could reasonably be expected to prejudice significantly the competitive position or interfere significantly with the contractual or other negotiations of a person, group of persons, or organization
  • A trade secret or scientific, technical, commercial or financial information that belongs to the municipality or local board and has monetary value or potential monetary value
  • A position, plan, procedure, criteria or instruction to be applied to any negotiations carried on or to be carried on by or on behalf of the municipality or local board
  • Any other matter permitted or required by statute

Request an investigation

If you believe a Council or committee meeting was held as a closed meeting in violation of the Municipal Act 2001 and theĀ Council Procedure By-law, you can request an investigation. The City uses Ombudsman Ontario to investigate complaints about Closed Meetings.

To request an investigation, visit the Ombudsman Ontario website.