Municipal councils across Ontario, which have been pressing the province to allow stricter sanctions on unethical councillors, will have to wait even longer for those changes.
Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Paul Calandra had indicated in the spring that he was working on a plan and intended to present it at the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) conference in August. However, the conference concluded on Wednesday without any new legislation, as Calandra is still awaiting recommendations from the province’s integrity commissioner.
For years, municipalities have been calling for updated codes of conduct to address workplace harassment and enforce stricter penalties for violations, including the possibility of removing councillors from office.
In the spring, Calandra acknowledged that the issue was more complex than he initially thought, explaining his need to consult further and seek advice from Ontario’s integrity commissioner, which caused him to miss his self-imposed June deadline for tabling the legislation.
Premier Doug Ford also reached out to the commissioner in June, asking for recommendations on how to improve and standardize the roles of municipal integrity commissioners and codes of conduct.
“Your expertise regarding accountability and transparency is invaluable in informing possible changes that will help ensure a consistent, uniform standard is applied to the conduct of all local elected officials,” Ford wrote in his letter.
According to Ford’s spokesperson Grace Lee, a report from the commissioner is now expected sometime this fall.
“Given the discrepancies between municipal codes of conduct across the province, the premier sought advice from the Integrity Commissioner in June, in consultation with the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, the office of the Attorney General, and various municipalities, on the best path forward for strengthening codes of conduct for members of municipal councils,” Lee stated.
The Association of Municipalities of Ontario submitted recommendations for such legislation to the province back in 2021. According to reports by Global News, the government had prepared a bill and was close to tabling it under former Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Steve Clark, but it has yet to materialize.
As the delay continues, municipalities are increasingly vocal about the need for updated rules.
Recently, Pickering Mayor Kevin Ashe and five other councillors urged Ford and Calandra to act swiftly to close a “glaring loophole” in the Municipal Act. Their call to action was prompted by the case of Councillor Lisa Robinson, who appeared on a far-right online show where the host referred to her fellow council members as “pedophiles” and “Nazis” and suggested they “deserve a baseball bat to the face.” Robinson had previously been sanctioned with pay suspensions for cyberbullying, intimidation, and making homophobic and transphobic remarks.
Ashe and the other councillors argue that stricter sanctions are necessary beyond mere suspensions of pay.
Hamilton Mayor Andrea Horwath expressed her disappointment over the latest delay, noting that the absence of a plan leaves elected officials vulnerable in what is technically a workplace.
“It’s disappointing that there’s been another delay and that Calandra did not present a plan at the conference,” Horwath said in an interview. “There definitely needs to be something in place because, at this point, there really isn’t anything, and that leaves people vulnerable.”
A non-partisan group, Women of Ontario Say No, has been advocating for the legislation, emphasizing that municipalities need more tools to hold politicians accountable for workplace harassment.
“The premise is simple: You should go to work and not be subjected to abuse,” said group member Emily McIntosh at a news conference earlier this year. “We are asking that municipally elected representatives be held to the same standard as every other working Ontarian.”
In the past, Liberal MPP Stephen Blais introduced a private member’s bill that would have allowed councillors and members of local boards to be fired for violating workplace violence or harassment policies and would have barred them from running for re-election. However, the Progressive Conservatives voted down Blais’ bill, with Calandra stating that the government would introduce its own legislation.