Whereas Council received the attached Motion from the Township of Russell in relation to the Association of Municipal Clerk Treasurers’ of Ontario (AMCTO) updates to the Municipal Elections Act.
Therefore Be it Resolved that the Council of the City of North Bay endorses and supports the Motion made by the Council of the Township of Russell.
And Further be it Resolved that a copy of this motion be sent to the Premier of Ontario, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Minister of Education, Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery, Minister of Finance, MPP Victor Fedeli, Association of Municipalities of Ontario, Federation of Northern Ontario Municipalities and the Township of Russell.
CERTIFIED RESOLUTION
Date: August 26, 2024 Item(s) no.: 10 (ref. a)
Subject: Resolution to Support AMCTO Provincial Updates to the Municipal Elections Act
Moved by: Jamie Laurin
Seconded by: Lisa Deacon
WHEREAS elections rules need to be clear, supporting candidates and voters in their electoral participation and election administrators in running elections; and
WHEREAS legislation needs to strike the right balance between providing clear rules and frameworks to ensure the integrity of the electoral process; and
WHEREAS the legislation must also reduce administrative and operational burden for municipal staff ensuring that local election administrators can run elections in a way that responds to the unique circumstances of their local communities; and
WHEREAS the Municipal Elections Act, 1996 (MEA) will be 30 years old by the next municipal and school board elections in 2026; and
WHEREAS the MEA sets out the rules for local elections, the Assessment Act, 1990 and the Education Act, 1990 also contain provisions impacting local elections adding more places for voters, candidates, and administrators to look for the rules that bind the local democratic process in Ontario; and
WHEREAS with rules across three pieces of legislation, and the MEA containing a patchwork of clauses, there are interpretation challenges, inconsistencies, and gaps to fill; and
WHEREAS the Act can pose difficulties for voters, candidates, contributors and third-party advertisers to read, to interpret, to comply with and for election administrators to enforce; and
WHEREAS while local elections are run as efficiently and effectively as can be within the current legislative framework, modernization and continuous improvement is needed to ensure the Act is responsive to today’s needs and tomorrow’s challenges; and
WHEREAS to keep public trust and improve safeguards the Act should be reviewed considering the ever-changing landscape which impacts elections administration including privacy, the threats of foreign interference, increased spread of mis/disinformation and the increased use of technologies like artificial intelligence and use of digital identities; and
WHEREAS the Association of Municipal Managers, Clerks, and Treasurers of Ontario (AMCTO) reviewed the Act and has provided several recommendations including modernizing the legislation, harmonizing rules, and streamlining and simplifying administration; and
WHERAS AMCTO put forward recommendations for amendments ahead of the 2026 elections and longer-term recommendations for amendments ahead of the 2030 elections; therefore
BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Township of Russell calls for the Province to update the MEA with priority amendments as outlined by AMCTO before Summer 2025 and commence work to review and re-write the MEA with longer-term recommendations ahead of the 2030 elections; and be it further
RESOLVED that this resolution will be forwarded to all municipalities in Ontario for support and that each endorsement be then forwarded to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, the Minister of Education, the Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery, Minister of Finance, the Premier of Ontario, MPP of Glengarry-Prescott-Russell and AMCTO.
MOTION APPROVED
I, Joanne Camiré Laflamme, Clerk of the Corporation of the Township of Russell, hereby certify that the foregoing is a true copy of the resolution adopted by the Council of the Corporation of the Township of Russell on the 26th day of August 2024.
Clerk
Municipal Offices 717 Notre-Dame Street, Embrun, ON K0A 1W1
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