Municipal councils in Ontario could soon have the power to remove elected officials from office for serious code of conduct violations.
The provincial government has introduced legislation that, if passed, would enable the creation of a new standardized municipal code of conduct, a consistent integrity commissioner inquiry process, and mandatory code of conduct training for council and board members.
“We had to make sure we got this right, which is why we worked with Ontario’s Integrity Commissioner to find the best path forward to create a standardized code of conduct process across the province,” said Paul Calandra, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, in a news release. “This process will support consistent accountability across our municipalities.”
The changes would also include a penalty of removing and disqualifying a member from office if they are in serious violation of the proposed code. This could only occur upon the recommendation of the municipal integrity commissioner, a concurring report from the Integrity Commissioner of Ontario, and a unanimous vote of council, with the exception of the member who is the subject of the report.
Municipal councils in Ontario are currently limited to suspending a member’s remuneration for up to 90 days for code of conduct violations, following an inquiry by the municipality’s integrity commissioner.