Grey County is declining to identify even the broad subject of a confidential government matter that prompted a special meeting of council immediately following the Association of Municipalities of Ontario conference.
Warden Andrea Matrosovs called a special Committee of the Whole meeting for August 20, 2026 at 10 a.m., with the County announcing the meeting on August 17.
The timing places the notice immediately following Grey County's participation at the AMO conference in Ottawa, which ran from August 16 to 19. The special meeting was then held the morning after the conference concluded.
Grey County has not said whether the timing of the meeting was connected to AMO.
While at the conference, Matrosovs and County representatives participated in meetings with provincial officials, including delegations with the Ministry of Colleges, Universities, Research Excellence and Security regarding sustainable funding for rural-serving college campuses and with the Ministry of Education regarding additional Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care spaces. However, Grey County has not indicated that any of those discussions were connected to the August 20 closed meeting.
The County's public notice said the sole agenda item for the special meeting required discussion in closed session under Section 239 of Ontario's Municipal Act.
Communications Manager Rob Hatten later told CKNXNewsToday.ca the meeting concerned information supplied to Grey County in confidence by Canada, a province or territory, or a Crown agency, and confirmed that following the meeting Warden Matrosovs reported that council had provided direction to staff regarding that information.
No further details about the direction have been released.
CKNXNewsToday.ca asked the County to identify the government department or Crown agency that supplied the information, or to provide a broad description of the subject, such as whether it concerned housing, education, healthcare or infrastructure.
The County was also asked what made the matter time-sensitive enough to require a special meeting the morning after AMO instead of waiting for a regularly scheduled council meeting.
Hatten said the County could only share what was contained in the public agenda, minutes and the Warden's reporting-out statement.
He also noted Grey County's procedural bylaw allows special meetings of council to be called and limits the business at those meetings to what is identified in the notice.
