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Most committee meetings are open to the public, including:
- Advisory committees
- Ad-Hoc committees
- Standing Committees
- Committee of the Whole
- Regional Council
- Task force committees
Closed Meeting Protocol
Closed meetings protect confidential information. Our Closed Meeting Protocol provides best practices for Regional Council. It also applies to Standing Committees and Committee of the Whole. The protocol follows the Municipal Act. It makes sure Regional Council does Regional business openly and transparently.
Closed meetings investigations
We are committed to an open and transparent government process. Closed meetings can only happen for limited, specific reasons. You can find this in the Municipal Act. We have also developed a Closed Meeting Investigation Procedure.
If you feel the Region has not been transparent, you have the right to request an investigation. You can request an investigation by completing our Closed Meeting Complaint and Investigation Request form:
Closed Meeting Complaint and Investigation Request Form
The Region has appointed Local Authority Services Limited (LAS) - Aird & Berlis as the closed meeting investigator. They investigate complaints about closed meetings.
View By-law #80-2007 for more information.
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Durham Region taking part in a Core Services Review
As service demands continue to increase—and pressure grows on municipal budgets—there is a need to balance quality programs and services with affordability; respond to changing community needs; and plan for long-term financial stability.
To help Regional Council, and the organization, better understand how Regional programs and services are delivered, resourced, and funded—including how current service levels compare to legislated requirements and available provincial and federal funding—a Core Services Review (CSR) will be undertaken.
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What is a Core Services Review?
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The CSR process involves a third-party consultant looking at required and legislated programs and services, Council‑directed initiatives, expected service levels, and other important aspects of Regional work.
Using data, insights and feedback, the CSR will review required and legislated programs and services, Council‑approved projects, and other important parts of Regional work.
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Why is the Region going through this process?
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The Core Services Review is being undertaken at the direction of Durham Regional Council.Service demands continue to grow, and this review will help Council better understand costs, community needs, and long‑term financial sustainability.
Council also needs to understand if local property taxes are being used to cover costs that are typically funded by the provincial or federal governments. When this happens, it puts added pressure on property taxes. Because unlike other levels of government, municipalities cannot run deficits and must rely on property taxes, user fees, and funding from upper levels of government.
This review will help Regional Council better understand those impacts and plan for sustainable services into the future.
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What's included in the review?
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The CSR will include all Regionalagencies and key organizations, such as Durham Region Transit and Durham Housing. However, itwon’t include Durham Regional Police, Conservation Authorities, Emergency 911, or Durham OneNet Inc.
The Durham Regional Police Service was excluded from the review at the direction of Regional Council. This is because policing, in Durham Region, is a shared responsibility. It is governed by provincial legislation, under the Community Safety and Policing Act.
The Durham Regional Police Services Board, not Regional Council, is responsible forreviewing and approving the police services budget. Regional Council does consider the overall Regional budget, which includes funding for police services. But, Council can only approve or reject the police budget as a whole. They do not have authority to change individual line items within the police budget.
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What will be done with the results?
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A final report, focused on long-term financial stability, will be delivered after the 2026 municipal election. It will be used to help inform the 2027 budget process and subsequent ones that follow.
It will also help to identify where Regional property tax dollars are being used to support services that are typically funded by the provincial or federal governments. This information will help Regional Council better understand funding gaps, manage pressure on the property tax base, and support discussions with senior levels of government about more sustainable funding to meet community needs.
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How much will this cost?
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Regional Council set aside funding for the work of an independent, third‑party consultant, as well as internal staff support, to complete the review. This will not be funded through a tax increase. Instead, the money is coming from a Regional reserve fund, which is specifically meant for one‑time or temporary initiatives.
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What is the status update of this project?
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Legislative Services is responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of these policies. If you have any questions please contact Clerks@durham.ca
Individual departments have unique standard operating practices and procedures.
The policies listed below have been authorized by Regional Council, please click on the links to view:
Accountability and Transparency Policy
Council and Staff Relations Policy
Council Expense Policy
Council Pregnancy and Parental Leaves Policy
Community Investment Grant Policy
Computers Financing and Replacement Policy
Delegation Policy
Insurance Claims Basement Flooding Loan Program
Municipal Diversity Plan and Recruitment Policy for Durham Regional Police Service Board (DRPSB)
Personal Information Privacy Policy
Public Notice Policy
Redacting Online Public Records Policy
Use of Corporate Resources for Election Purposes Policy
Use of Council Chambers Policy
The following are Regional Administrative Policies that may be of interest to the public, please click on the links to view:
Council Appointments to Professional Associations Policy
Public Conduct Policy
Records Retention Schedule Policy
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Integrity Commissioner
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The Regional Municipality of Durham's Integrity Commissioner is responsible for:
- Advising Regional Council members and members of the Region's local boards of their duties under the Council Code of Conduct and the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act.
- Telling the public about the Code of Conduct and Regional Council and local board members' roles under the Code.
- Deciding whether to investigate complaints about Regional Council and local board members' conduct.
- Making recommendations if there is 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 Region's local boards include: the 9-1-1 Management Board, Development Charges Complaint Committee, Land Division Committee, and Durham Region Transit Commission.
The Integrity Commissioner produces annual reports which can be viewed below:
Integrity Commissioner Annual Report 2017
Integrity Commissioner Annual Report 2018
Integrity Commissioner Annual Reports 2019 and 2020
Integrity Commissioner Annual Report 2022 to 2025
For Code of Conduct complaints or inquiries related to Council members or board members from one of our local area municipalities, please contact the specific area municipality for information on their Integrity Commissioner.
Making a complaint
Informal complaints
If you think a Regional Council member or member of a local board is not following the Code of Conduct, you can:
- Tell them that you think their behaviour does not follow the Code.
- Ask them to stop the behaviour.
- Let them know if you are happy with how they handle your complaint.
- Keep your own notes about events, including dates, times, locations, other people, and steps you took to fix the problem.
If you are unhappy with the result of your informal complaint, you can make a formal complaint to the Integrity Commissioner.
Formal complaints
If you think a Regional Council member or member of one of the Region's local boards has breached the Code of Conduct or the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act, you can make a formal complaint. Use the Council Code of Conduct Complaint Form or send an email to postoffice@principlesintegrity.org with the same information, to commence the process with the Region's Integrity Commissioner, Principles Integrity. With respect to conflict of interest matters, a further statutory declaration may be required – the Integrity Commissioner will advise.
You may contact Principles Integrity to inquire about the complaint process or with general questions about Council and local board members’ ethical responsibilities via email to postoffice@principlesintegrity.org or by telephone at 647-259-8697.
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| Municipal Ombudsman |
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The Office of the Ontario Ombudsman helps you when you are not satisfied with the services you have received from a municipality, and the municipality's response to your concerns.
Before you contact the Ombudsman's Office, try following our Corporate Complaint Handling Procedure. We may be able to help resolve your concerns. You can also report an issue with the Region.
If our complaint process did not solve your concerns, then you can contact the Ontario Ombudsman to help you. You can contact them by telephone at 1-800-263-1830 and email at info@ombudsman.on.ca .
The Ombudsman's Office independently receives, reviews and investigates your complaints. It updates investigation results and has an annual report of activities which can be viewed below:
Municipal Ombudsman Annual Report 2017
Municipal Ombudsman Annual Report 2018
Municipal Ombudsman Annual Report 2019
Municipal Ombudsman Annual Report 2020
Municipal Ombudsman Annual Report 2021
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