A bill in Ontario aims to empower municipal councils to remove unethical members, responding to long-standing calls for updated conduct laws. The proposal standardizes municipal codes of conduct and allows integrity commissioners to suggest removals to provincial authorities, but it requires a unanimous council vote for implementation. Critics argue that this unanimous requirement undermines accountability, as individual councillors can easily find allies to protect their positions. Current penalties under existing regulations include reprimands or suspensions, but the new bill raises doubts about effective enforcement against problematic councillors.
Under the proposed bill, the municipal integrity commissioner can recommend the removal of a councillor to the provincial integrity commissioner, who then assesses the case. However, a unanimous council vote is required for removal, which creates a challenge. John Mascarin emphasized this flaw, stating that a councillor simply needs to secure one ally to avoid removal, suggesting that effective accountability is unlikely under the current proposal.
Critics argue that the requirement for a unanimous vote to remove a councillor from office poses a significant barrier to accountability. With the ability for one ally to prevent removal, serious concerns arise about whether unethical councillors will actually be removed. John Mascarin indicated his skepticism, noting that it is doubtful anyone would be removed under these provisions.
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