Ford government still deciding how to ‘best implement’ sacking of municipal councillors

It’s one of the most drawn-out pieces of legislation at Queen’s Park, but the Ford government is indicating its law to improve oversight of municipal councillors may still be open for last-minute changes.

Back in 2021, the province came within days of introducing a law which would have allowed judges to disqualify councillors and made elected officials pay for the cost of investigations into their conduct.

But the legislation disappeared without ever being tabled. A new version was finally introduced at the end of 2024 and was later ditched when Premier Doug Ford called a snap election.

It was reintroduced in May and then sent to committee, where advocates pushed for changes around how a councillor can be removed.

As January 2026 ends, the bill still hasn’t been passed into law, and the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing can’t say when it will.

“We continue to meet with our partners, as we have done recently at the Rural Ontario Municipal Association Conference, on how best to implement this new framework,” a spokesperson for the ministry told Global News.

Get breaking National news

For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen.

At the recent Rural Ontario Municipal Association Conference, the potential changes the legislation could bring in were a hot topic. A panel discussion on the change was standing room only, as councillors looked for answers.

Nobody from the provincial government spoke at the event, where staff and elected officials expressed a mixture of concern, cautious optimism and confusion.

As it stands, the legislation will allow for the creation of a standard code of conduct for all municipalities, with penalties of removing and disqualifying a member from office if they are in serious violation of the code.

Removal and disqualification could only happen if the municipal integrity commissioner recommends it, if Ontario’s integrity commissioner agrees and if councillors, except for the member in question, unanimously agree to it in a vote.

In small towns, in particular, there are fears that the structure could fall foul of personal relationships.

“We all know each other and most small town councils usually grow up in that area and then continue as adults. It’s your buddy, or it’s not your buddy, it’s someone you don’t like for whatever reason,” McNab/Braeside Mayor Lori Hoddinott told Global News.

She said the process of kicking final approval back to the municipalities risked councillor removals becoming embroiled in unrelated personal politics.

“Maybe his son dated the other guy’s daughter in high school and didn’t treat her very well,” she said. “Or the reverse. ‘Well, this is my next-door neighbour and I’ve got to live beside him; he’s a great guy.’”

Hoddinott said she was also concerned that councils making the final decision would mean it is local municipalities who face a court challenge over removal rather than the province, effectively downloading the cost of fighting to uphold the law to towns and cities.

The advocacy group, Women of Ontario Say No, has long been pushing for the law to be introduced. Emily McIntosh, its founder, said the current draft is an important step but remains flawed.

“The Municipal Accountability Act is a critical piece of legislation, but it needs to be better,” she told Global News.

Her group has been advocating, in particular, for councillors who have been criminally charged to be placed on paid leave until their case has passed through the courts.

“It seems absurd that in 2025 we even have to consider these elements, but without legislation to depersonalize such situations, we are failing our communities,” McIntosh added.

Both McIntosh and Hoddinott say they support huge parts of the legislation and hope to see it become law soon.

&copy 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.