Local Transparency and Accountability: The Role of Municipal Accountability Officers

Municipal governments in Canada are held to account by elections and, to a lesser extent, by the courts. But these are blunt instruments and they are not of much help in dealing with cases of poor administration, individual grievances, or unethical behaviour. In response, many municipal governments have established independent accountability officers:  auditors-general, ombudsmen, lobbyist registrars, closed-meeting investigators, and integrity commissioners. While these roles are important, providing these officers with more authority will not necessarily solve all local governance problems.

On March 28, 2017, Andrew Sancton, one of Canada’s foremost authorities on municipal government, explored the role of accountability officers in Canadian municipal government, highlighting both their accomplishments and the challenges they face.