What is a meeting? Municipal councils and the Ontario ombudsman

In recent decisions, the Ontario ombudsman has developed his own definition of a “meeting” of a municipal council. The definition derives more from American statutes and judicial decisions than from any prior interpretation of Ontario (or other Canadian) law. The ombudsman's rulings claim that the law prevents municipal councillors from meeting together informally “to lay the groundwork necessary” for the council to exercise its authority. He mistakenly suggests that the policy‐making process is much more open at the federal and provincial levels of government. His rulings unduly restrain groups of municipal councillors from organizing themselves to promote policy change.