WHEREAS Bill 9: the Municipal Accountability Act, proposes to standardize the municipal code of conduct across Ontario and would allow integrity commissioners to recommend the removal of council members for egregious code violations; and
WHEREAS in 2023, Central Elgin Council voted not to endorse Bill 5: the Stopping Harassment and Abuse by Local Leaders Act, which similarly proposed mechanisms for improving standards of conduct among municipal officials; and
WHEREAS on July 3, 2025, Mayor Sloan spoke at a legislative hearing on Bill 9 and indicated that he was speaking on behalf of the Municipality of Central Elgin; and
WHEREAS Central Elgin Council has not held a formal discussion or taken an official position on Bill 9 to date; and
WHEREAS a lack of formal council direction may lead to misinterpretation of individual remarks as representative of the municipality as a whole; and
WHEREAS knowledge and understanding of municipal code and process is an evolving reality for members of council, and the perspectives held by the majority at this time may no longer be reflective of those held when support for Bill 5 was considered;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT Council formally consider and adopt a position on Bill 9: the Municipal Accountability Act, deliberating among the following three options, with the opportunity to amend or refine language as necessary, and;
- Position A – Support: That Central Elgin Council supports Bill 9 in its current form, including the proposed integrity commissioner removal mechanism, and endorses province-wide standardization of municipal codes of conduct.
- Position B – Oppose: That Central Elgin Council does not support Bill 9 as introduced, and recommends that no removal power be granted to integrity commissioners, with any discipline remaining at the discretion of local councils.
- Position C – Conditional Support: That Central Elgin Council supports the principles of Bill 9 and province-wide standardization of codes of conduct, but recommends that removal of a councillor not be subject to a council vote. Instead, the decision should be made by an independent board to prevent politicization and ensure fairness.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT the chosen position be circulated to Premier Doug Ford, to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, to the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO), and made available to the public.
This motion is to be considered at the August 11, 2025 meeting of council. For more information on Bill 9, please read my observations following the London hearing for interested parties.