The Niagara Region 'leaker' should rethink what they are doing.
Political Science Professor Emeritus at Brock University, David Siegel is commenting on the various leaks of Niagara Region Council happenings to the media.
Siegel says council is taking this very seriously and the person leaking the in-camera information should probably rethink what they are doing.
St. Catharines Regional Councillor George Darte has recently stated he would like to get to the bottom of the leaks.
Siegel says there are some things that need to be kept confidential and there can be serious issues when information is leaked especially when it comes to employment, real estate and other legal matters.
"If it's a staff person, that's breach of the municipal act, if it's a councillor it's a bit tricky since there are no real set penalties unless a code of conduct is in place."
Siegel says even penalties are limited by law, usually just banning the councillor from certain meetings.
When it comes to Niagara Falls Council's move to shred any handwritten notes during a closed door meeting, Siegel says councillors taking notes is a useful tool.
He says it can be counterproductive, and a person still has a memory so it's not really the most effective method.