Ontario still refining plan to remove municipal councillors, ministry says
The Municipal Accountability Act has not been passed. The province says it is meeting with municipalities on implementation and cannot give a timeline.
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By Torontoer Staff
Ontario’s proposed Municipal Accountability Act remains unresolved as January 2026 ends, with the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing unable to say when the bill will become law. The government says it is still consulting municipalities on how best to implement the framework.
The legislation has a long history at Queen’s Park. An early version nearly reached the legislature in 2021 before it was shelved. A revised bill appeared at the end of 2024 but was withdrawn when Premier Doug Ford called a snap election. It was reintroduced in May 2025 and referred to committee, where councillors, municipal staff and advocacy groups urged changes to how elected officials can be removed.
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.
Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing spokesperson
What the draft would change
The current draft aims to standardise conduct rules across municipalities and create a clearer path for penalties when councillors commit serious breaches. Key elements in the draft are designed to centralise standards while leaving the final decision in local hands.
- A standard municipal code of conduct would apply provincewide.
- Integrity commissioners could recommend removal or disqualification for serious violations.
- Removal would require a recommendation from the local integrity commissioner, agreement from Ontario’s integrity commissioner, and a unanimous council vote excluding the member in question.
Concerns from small towns and councils
Municipal staff and councillors at the Rural Ontario Municipal Association conference raised practical and political concerns. In smaller communities, councillors and residents often have pre-existing personal ties. Those relationships, attendees warned, could influence how removal decisions play out at council.
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
Hoddinott told Global News that sending the final decision to municipal councils risks turning removal proceedings into local political battles. She also warned the structure could shift the legal and financial burden of court challenges onto municipalities, rather than the province.
- Risk of decisions driven by personal relationships or local feuds.
- Potential for increased legal costs for municipalities defending removal votes.
- Pressure on small councils to adjudicate politically sensitive matters.
Advocates want stronger safeguards
Advocacy groups have pushed for the bill to include clearer protections, especially around councillors charged with criminal offences. Women of Ontario Say No, which has campaigned for the legislation, calls the current draft a step forward but says it falls short in several areas.
The Municipal Accountability Act is a critical piece of legislation, but it needs to be better. 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.
Emily McIntosh, founder, Women of Ontario Say No
McIntosh and her group have recommended that councillors who face criminal charges be placed on paid leave until cases are resolved. That proposal is not clearly reflected in the current draft, and advocates argue that without such measures, communities may continue to experience the disruption the bill aims to prevent.
What happens next
The ministry says consultations are ongoing and that officials have discussed implementation at recent municipal conferences. No timetable has been provided for final passage. Municipal leaders and advocacy groups continue to press for clarifications on process, timelines and safeguards before the bill is finalised.
Supporters and critics agree on one point: elements of the draft are intended to address real problems in municipal governance. The outstanding questions are about how those measures will work on the ground, and which level of government will carry the practical and legal responsibilities that follow.
Municipal Accountability ActOntario politicslocal governmentmunicipal affairscivic governance
