Council-Elect Workshop

The City of Cambridge Council-Elect Workshop was held on November 11, 2026, as a training session on Ontario’s Municipal Act and municipal governance. Facilitator Rick O’Connor reviewed council’s collective decision-making responsibilities, the distinction between governance and administration, council–staff roles, open-meeting requirements, delegation of authority, strong-mayor powers, and accountability and transparency obligations. The session also covered council’s oversight of budgets and financial controls, including the need for policies and procedures such as a procurement bylaw, and emphasized that council retains authority over adopting or amending the budget while day-to-day administration is generally delegated to staff.

The workshop was for training purposes only; no municipal business was advanced, and no motions, votes, contract awards, purchasing decisions, or procurement action items were identified. Procurement was mentioned only as an example of a financial-control policy, with no specific project, vendor, contract, or funding amount discussed. Further orientation sessions were announced, including a finance and budgeting webinar scheduled for January 7 and a subsequent session on conflict of interest and accountability.