Hearings for bill allowing municipal councillor removal set for Ontario tour

A Ford government bill allowing municipal council members to be removed for misconduct is going on tour next month.

The Standing Committee on Heritage, Infrastructure and Cultural Policy is planning to hold public Bill 9 hearings in July in six cities including London, Barrie and Ottawa before returning to Queen’s Park for a clause-by-clause reading on Aug. 26.

A spokesperson for Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Rob Flack said the cities were chosen to “provide the opportunity for municipal leaders and community members from across the province to have their voices heard.” 

“We look forward to meeting with municipal leaders throughout the summer to share the steps our government is taking to strengthen local governance,” said Alexandra Sanita in a statement to The Trillium.

Bill 9, the Municipal Accountability Act, would allow municipal councillors to be removed from office for serious violations of codes of conduct. Removal would require a recommendation by Ontario’s Integrity Commissioner followed by a unanimous vote from council members.

Emily McIntosh, who formed the group Women of Ontario Say No, has been advocating for years for stricter consequences for municipal councillors found to have egregiously violated codes of conduct.

McIntosh told The Trillium she wants changes to the proposed bill, including to the process of how council members could be removed. 

She says requiring a unanimous council vote will make it next to impossible to remove a councillor because a single person could “derail” the process.

“If that is not changed, this legislative change will be moot. It will have zero impact,” she said.

Liberal MPP Stephen Blais, who twice tried to pass legislation that would allow councillors to be removed for serious code of conduct violations, told The Trillium that a unanimous council vote is “an extraordinarily high bar” that may not be achievable.

Blais' bills would have allowed council members to be removed from their seats by a judge after an application from the local integrity commissioner. He still believes judges are “best positioned” to make the decision, but told The Trillium that Bill 9 is a positive step forward.

“It's long overdue. We need to ensure that city halls and town halls across Ontario are safe places to work both for the councillors and the mayors who are elected and for the staff that work for the municipality.”

Bill 9 committing hearings are scheduled for the following dates: 

London

Thursday, July 3

Niagara Falls

Friday, July 4

Barrie

Thursday, July 10

Ottawa

Thursday, July 17

Whitby 

Thursday, July 24

Thunder Bay

Thursday, July 31.

Information on how to participate in the hearings is here.