Municipal Council

The Code of Conduct for Council and local boards sets out the principles and rules of conduct that elected members and members of local boards must respect in the performance of their duties. Its purpose is to guarantee integrity, transparency and ethics within the municipal administration. This code dictates the behaviour of elected municipal members in order to maintain impartiality and guard against conflicts of interest, as well as a number of principles designed to empower and protect citizens.

The Code of Conduct serves as a guide for elected municipal members in order to maintain high standards with regards to ethical conduct, and to reinforce public confidence in the municipal administration. You can download the Code of Conduct here.

Beginning in March 2019, the province of Ontario requires municipalities to adopt a code of conduct for their municipal council members and local boards. The Code of Conduct requires that an Integrity Commissioner be appointed. A new Integrity Commissioner was appointed in January 2023 by Council. The term of their office ends on December 31, 2025.

Their role

The Integrity Commissioner is independent of Council and the municipal administration. They accomplish the following duties :

• To advise elected representatives in the exercise of their mandate and to offer impartial advice in specific situations. 
• To investigate complaints when they are received.
• To educate Council and make them aware of their responsibilities and the importance of ethics in their duties. 

Cunningham, Swan, Carty, Little & Bonham, LLP is Southeastern Ontario's premier full-service law firm. The firm is a general partnership that has been practicing law for over 125 years. The firm has a long tradition of providing legal services to local governments. It acts as attorneys or legal advisors to more than two dozen urban and rural municipalities, as well as a number of public services, conservation authorities, health units, hospitals and universities in southeastern Ontario and beyond.

A person who has reason to believe that there has been a breach of the Code of Conduct or a lack of ethical conduct on the part of an elected official or a member of a local board may file a complaint. The complaint must be filed using the official complaint form. The form can be printed from the website, or obtained from the Clerk's office.

Download and print the official complaint form.

The complaint must be placed in a sealed envelope marked “private and confidential” and contain the following information:

• Complainant's name, mailing address, telephone number and e-mail address;
• An original copy of the Official Complaint Form;
• Any other relevant documentation; and
• A cheque for $250 made payable to “The Corporation of the Town of Hawkesbury”.

The complaint must be submitted by mail to :

The Corporation of the Town of Hawkesbury
Attention: Cunningham, Swan, Carty, Little & Bonham, LLP, Integrity Commissioner
600 Higginson Street, Hawkesbury, ON, K6A 1H1

Please note: All information, forms and the cheque must be included in the envelope when filing the complaint.  All information relating to the person filing a complaint will remain confidential at all times. 

To the extent possible, the Integrity Commissioner submits their report within 60 days of receiving a complaint to Council or the local board, as the case may be. In the event of a contravention of the Code of Conduct or an ethical breach, the Integrity Commissioner will submit their recommendations.

As of May 1, 2025, the Town of Hawkesbury has been granted Strong Mayor Powers by the Province under Ontario Regulation 530/22: Part VI.1 of the Municipal Act, 2001, in order to advance prescribed provincial priorities.

Under Part VI.1 of the Municipal Act, 2001, the Mayor holds the following powers and responsibilities as Head of Council:

1. Appoint and dismiss the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO);
2. Hire, fire, or exercise any other employment powers prescribe with respect with the head of department or any other part of the Town’s organizational structure;
3. Delegate, in consultation with the Mayor, the organizational structure of the Town;
4. Appoint chairpersons and vice-chairpersons of local boards, create or dissolve committees, and assign functions;
5. Exercise veto power over municipal by-laws;
6. Propose the municipal budget before February 1 of each year;
7. Submit matters to Council for consideration, if the Mayor believes they could further contribute to provincial priorities.

The Mayor of Hawkesbury has chosen to waive certain Strong Mayor Powers. Please refer to the following decisions:

Mayor's Decisions