The City of Ottawa is committed to conducting City business in an open and transparent manner. Being accountable and transparent means the City is committed to measuring and showing how well we are doing in all the areas for which we are responsible, from financial reports to human resource management to service delivery.
In response to the changes to the Municipal Act, 2001, Ottawa City Council has furthered its commitment to accountability and transparency through the implementation of various integrity officers and additional policies including:
- Implementing a Lobbyist Registry and the Lobbyist Code of Conduct in 2012 to enhance the transparency and integrity of business conducted at City Hall
- Establishing an Integrity Commissioner who, as Lobbyist Registrar, oversees and enforces the Lobbyist Registry as well as the Lobbyist Code of Conduct and whose powers and duties are set out in the Municipal Act, 2001
- Enhancing the position of the Auditor General by granting it the statutory powers of the position as outlined in the Municipal Act, 2001
- Appointing a Meetings Investigator to investigate complaints regarding closed meetings of Council, its Committees and local boards
- Implementing Codes of Conduct and related policies and complaint protocols
- Implementing a Gifts Registry and public reporting
- Establishing a public Registry under the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act and investigation protocols
- Adopting an Accountability and Transparency Policy
- Adopting a Public Conduct Policy and trespass procedures
- Adopting a Delegation of Powers Policy including accountability and transparency requirements for every new delegation. This Policy is supported by the Delegation of Authority By-law that is reviewed and approved by Council generally twice during the four-year Council term or more frequently if required.
The City of Ottawa has adopted a number of accountability and transparency practices, including:
- An Employee Code of Conduct
- An Election-Related Resources Policy
- Adopting and implementing best practices in the area of budgeting and financial reporting
- Adopting the “It’s About Accountability” framework in 2004 (such as quarterly financial and purchasing reports and producing a City of Ottawa Annual Report)
- Developing a multi-year City Corporate Plan and Departmental Business Plans (City Strategic Directions)
- Producing a comprehensive annual Human Resources Plan
- Improving customer service with 311 service reporting
- Adopting the principles of Open Government and establishing the Open Data Ottawa site where the public can access municipal datasets