Today, Bill 9, Municipal Accountability Act, passed third reading and is on its way to Royal Assent. We are pleased to see AMCTO referenced in third reading debate, including data from our harassment and incivility survey, with MPPs speaking to the importance of protections for municipal staff.
Once in force, the bill will bring forward changes to the local accountability process including:
- A standardized code of conduct (through regulations)
- Establishing a role for the Integrity Commissioner of Ontario to provide education, training and other functions for local municipal integrity commissioners
- Establishing a mechanism with a significantly high threshold to remove members of council.
- The mechanism includes a two-part process requiring the recommendation of the local municipal integrity commissioner and Integrity Commissioner of Ontario.
The passing of this bill is a step forward towards better local government accountability; however, we remain concerned about gaps in the legislation where more can be done to address the safety and well-being of municipal professionals. As members will recall from our previous updates, the bill was not substantially changed at Standing Committee last summer despite our recommendations and those of other advocacy groups.
It is expected that the new framework will be in place for the next term of council which commences in November after the municipal and school board elections taking place on October 26, 2026. However, given that the bill has only now passed, we are awaiting further information from the ministry, including any accompanying regulations required to put the new framework into place. We know that implementing this new framework will be done by many of the same professionals who are also administering the local elections and we will provide further details to members when it becomes available.
In the meantime, we encourage you to get in touch with our policy and government relations team with any feedback, questions, or concerns.