Today, Minister Flack introduced Bill 100, Better Regional Government Act, 2026, which makes amendments to the Municipal Act, 2001, and the Municipal Elections Act, 1996. The legislation is purported to ensure municipal governments respond quickly to economic and housing challenges and strengthen decision-making.
We are concerned about the impacts the proposed changes will have on the municipal and school board elections in affected municipalities, including adding additional strain for election administrators who are in the middle of planning and implementing the 2026 elections.
Among the announced proposals, the bill will:
- Authorize the Government to change municipal council composition, including minister regulation-making authority:
- Simcoe County council would be reduced from 32 members to 17. The new council would be made up of mayors of the 16 lower-tier municipalities, plus the warden.
- Niagara Regional council would be reduced from 32 members to 13 members. The new council would include the mayors of each of Niagara’s 12 lower-tier municipalities plus the regional chair.
- Provide the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing with regulation-making authority to set out weighted voting rules for upper-tier municipal councils starting with the term following the 2026 regular election.
- Provide authority going forward to appoint the head of council of the regions of Durham, Halton, Niagara, Peel, Waterloo, York, Muskoka District, and the warden of Simcoe County, and authority for those individuals to be deemed a member of council.
The bill also proposes amendments to the Municipal Elections Act, which include transitional provisions as well as a clause in the event the bill does not pass by May 1, that any person who filed a nomination for the elected office of upper-tier chair in subsection 218.1 (2) of the Municipal Act or any office for council of Region of Niagara would be deemed withdrawn.
Changes like these are ones we have advised the Government to avoid in an election year. We are disappointed that the Ford Government has decided to ignore our cautions. If passed, the proposals announced today could significantly impact the ability of municipalities to deliver effective, accountable, and cost-efficient municipal and school board elections. We also recognize that there remains uncertainty with school board elections. Minister Calandra has indicated that a decision about school board governance will come in mid-April.
Further, as an Association, we have been consistent in our opposition to strong mayor powers as it relates to organizational structures and employment matters, including the hiring and removal of municipal staff. We have continued to press for clarity on strong mayor powers and how they are implemented, given the current legislative and regulatory gaps.
As part of the Minister's announcement, he said he would provide 'strong chair' powers to these provincially-appointed heads of council. The strong mayor provisions of the Act do not appear to be amended by this bill; however, there are proposals open for comment in a regulatory posting. Our team will be taking a closer look at the regulatory posting, but it appears there is a proposal related to restricted acts, which we have long called for clarity on.
We will seek clarity on whether the ministry intends to make future amendments to the Municipal Act. Nevertheless, the extension of a version of these powers to chairs who are provincially appointed will likely further muddy the waters of implementation. The Minister has indicated that these powers will mirror strong mayor powers.
As always, our team will continue to evaluate opportunities to support our members in navigating these changes, and we will provide updates as appropriate. In the meantime, we encourage you to reach out to us with any questions or concerns.