And, after less than five months since the new rules have been in effect, Oshawa is already coming under fire. Oshawa has the unfortunate claim of being the third municipality to be the focus of an investigation by the Ontario Ombudsman. Strange for a city that boasts its very own“Accountability and Transparency Committee”, the main focus of which is to ensure openness. Looks like they dropped the ball on this one. Had it been any other issue behind those closed doors that day, the whole thing might have gone unnoticed.

But when you’re dealing with something that relates to Oshawa’s waterfront, be warned: people are watching. The harbour is a hot topic and people want to know what’s going on every step of the way. When council decided to privately discuss hiring a public relations firm to lobby the federal government on their behalf with regards to the waterfront, they made a risky decision that has since backfired.

Not only did those plans to hire a PR firm end up dead in the water, now the city must deal with the negative attention that a provincial investigation brings. But in a society that touts accountability and transparen cy, council should have known better than to close its doors when dealing with such an important issue.

And the meeting probably had details of little interest to the public, however when the doors are shut and taxpayers are kept out, it’s presumed there’s something to hide.