Ontario municipal councillors to face stiffer ethics penalties

TORONTO — Ontario municipal councillors could soon be removed from office for violating a code of conduct under a provincial bill that passed Tuesday, though Premier Doug Ford said he has reservations about the new law.

Municipalities, advocates and the opposition have long called for stronger penalties for councillors who break the rules including workplace harassment.

Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Rob Flack said he hopes to have the new rules in place ahead of the October municipal elections.

The new law allows the provincial government to create a standard municipal code of conduct, so all 444 municipalities are adhering to the same rules, with penalties up to removing and disqualifying a member from office if they are in serious violation of the code.

However, that 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.

Politicians on all sides said they made compromises as they largely worked together to hash out the bill.

“It has to be a lot of steps because it has to be a difficult decision to kick anybody (out) that’s been elected publicly,” Flack said.

“So that is why we’ve made it this way. We’re not saying it’s absolutely perfect, but it’s a great start. We’ve got a municipal code of conduct, we never had one. It’s consistent across 444 municipalities. Let’s celebrate the fact that we got it.”

Ford admitted he had reservations about the bill, primarily because he worried one political group would target another councillor based on their beliefs.

“We passed it through and I obviously voted on it. I agreed with all parties,” he said.

“So hopefully it’s all going to work out and they won’t take advantage of this and try to attack an opponent, because it happens.”

Emily McIntosh, the founder of advocacy group Women of Ontario Say No, said the new law is a great first step to better protect women in municipal politics.

“The message is clear: if you’re running in this next municipal election, egregious acts of harassment and violence towards your colleagues, towards staff, towards members of the community will not be tolerated.”

“This is a big day for the women of Ontario. We’re saying yes today, and for the people of Ontario, this is extremely monumental.”

The vote was near unanimous with independent legislator Bobbi Ann Brady the sole vote against. But politicians on all sides said they made compromises on the bill.

Liberal municipal affairs critic Stephen Blais spearheaded a similar private member’s bill years ago and says the new law will make a difference, but should be strengthened to give council more options on how to deal with problematic councillors.

Blais credited women who came forward with allegations of harassment by then-Ottawa city councillor Rick Chiarelli in 2019. The council docked Chiarelli’s pay after multiple integrity reports found he harassed several women over several years. But there was no mechanism for any councillor’s removal.

“The credit goes to the women in Ottawa who came forward to tell their stories,” Blais said. He would like the government to go further, though.

“Our concern around the unanimous provisions of voting to remove someone from council, that is a very high bar, probably too high,” he said.

“It also doesn’t give council the option to do a lesser penalty.”

The Liberals would like to see the process shift to the courts for a judicial review, Blais said.

NDP Leader Marit Stiles said the bill was not about partisanship.

“This is about making sure that every woman, no matter where she is, whether she’s working for a city, a municipality, a province, whichever, that municipal councillors will be held to account just like everybody else,” Stiles said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 26, 2026.

Allison Jones and Liam Casey, The Canadian Press