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CBC
2 days ago
- Politics
- CBC
Critics warn Ontario bill to crack down on misbehaving politicians 'fatally flawed'
The Ford government is taking its proposed bill to crack down on negligent and misbehaving municipal politicians on the road this summer with plans to have it in place before 2026 civic elections. But critics say the new rules are "fatally flawed" and will be ineffective. Committee hearings on Bill 9, dubbed the Municipal Accountability Act, began last week in London and Niagara Falls to gather feedback on the Progressive Conservative plan. It would see the process to handle misconduct standardized across all 444 municipalities in the province and give councils the ability to remove one of their peers from office. Municipal Affairs Minister Rob Flack told the committee that the government is open to feedback, but aims to pass the bill in the fall. That would mean it would come into force ahead of 2026 municipal elections, he said. "We all know and understand what's at stake with this legislation," Flack told the all-party committee last week. "We know that accountability is not optional, it's essential." WATCH | Ford government reviewing municipal code of conduct amid Pickering council dispute: Ford government reviewing municipal code of conduct amid Pickering council dispute 11 months ago Duration 3:18 The mayor of Pickering and city council members are asking the province to legislate stricter sanctions for councillors after their colleague appeared on a podcast where the host labelled them pedophiles, Nazis and fascists. As CBC's Chris Glover explains, the Doug Ford government confirmed a review of the Municipal Act is now underway. PCs re-introduced bill to address misconduct in May The government re-introduced the legislation in May after it died on the order paper when the snap election was called earlier this year. This is the third attempt by the PCs to introduce legislation aimed at addressing serious misconduct by municipal councillors. They're responding to years of requests from municipal politicians and staff who have asked for tools to deal with allegations of sexual harassment, discrimination and ethics abuses. Flack said the current process is not uniform and gives councillors the ability only to suspend pay, even in the most serious of instances. It undermines the public's view of fairness and accountability on municipal councils, he said. "This current system, simply put, does not work as intended and has produced challenges right across Ontario," he said. The new bill would require a local integrity commissioner to investigate misconduct allegations. If that person believed a breach of the code of conduct warranted a politician's removal, the case would be passed on to Ontario's Integrity Commissioner for review. If that watchdog also recommends removal, the case would be passed back to the local council for a decision within 30 days. A councillor could only be removed by a unanimous vote of all the council members who are not the subject of the complaint. Bar is too high for removal of a misbehaving councillor, critics say Municipal lawyer John Mascarin said leaving the final decision in the hands of politicians will ensure the law is never used. Leaving the final call to the courts would de-politicize the process and ensure fairness, he said. "I think the bill is incredibly flawed, fatally flawed," said Mascarin, who is a partner at the firm Aird and Berlis. "Are you going to tell me that on a large council of 16, 20, 25 members ... you're not going to find one member that's going to betray their good conscience and their fiduciary obligations?" Liberal municipal affairs critic Stephen Blais has introduced three private members bills trying to give municipal integrity commissioners enhanced powers. Those bills would have allowed the watchdogs to refer the most egregious code of conduct violations to court. A judge would then determine if a politician should be removed from office and barred from running in subsequent elections. Each time, the bills have stalled in Queen's Park's legislative process or been rejected by Premier Doug Ford's government. Blais said he thinks the standard in this bill for removing a councillor is too high. "I think the government has overshot the mark. I think it's not just high, I think it's kind of in outer space," he said. NDP municipal affairs critic Jeff Burch, who is also a former city councillor, said the government has acquiesced to years of demands for this legislation, but it's made it ineffective. "This bar is far too high," he said. "Why should politicians, who should be held to a higher standard, have such a lower standard and be able to keep their jobs in situations that make other people feel unsafe?" Municipalities want more tools for 'progressive discipline', AMO says The president of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario says that group is happy government is moving ahead with the legislation. But Robin Jones, who is also the mayor Westport, Ont., says amendments would make it more effective. AMO previously advocated for cases involving potential ejection from council to head to the courts. Lowering the bar from all of council to a two-thirds majority vote for removal would address some concerns, she said. "We think a super-majority should be enough," she said. "We understand that it may need to be more than a simple majority." Jones said councils also want more middle-ground built into the legislation to give them options for other sanctions. Pay suspension isn't much of a motivator on many smaller councils where salaries are small for what's considered part-time work. The new bill would add removal from council as the next, and only other, penalty available to councils. "We really do think that there should be sort of a progressive discipline opportunity," she said. At the hearings, Flack defended the government's position on the full majority of a council being required to remove a peer. The PCs want to avoid the process being "weaponized," he said. "By the time you get to a vote there should be little doubt that removal or disqualification, if it's being recommended, be done," he said. A spokesperson for Flack said in a statement that a high bar is required for any vote to remove a sitting politician. "Removal from office is a serious measure, reserved for the most extreme code of conduct violations, and safeguarded by a high threshold and thorough review to ensure it is never taken lightly," Alexandra Sanita said.
23-06-2025
- Business
Ontario needs to build more than 2 million homes in the next decade: internal docs
Ontario's target of building 1.5 million homes by 2031 may not be enough to meet demand, civil servants have told the province's new municipal affairs minister, saying that 2.1 million homes could instead be needed to improve affordability. The estimates come in briefing materials provided to Minister Rob Flack, as he took on the new portfolio in March. The document, obtained by CBC News through a freedom of information request, suggests the range of new homes Ontario needs could be as much as 600,000 higher than the current target set by the Progressive Conservative government. It is estimated that between 1.5 million to 2.1 million new homes will need to be built in Ontario over roughly the next decade, based on assessments of the current housing supply shortfall and/or projected population growth, the public servants wrote. The government set its 1.5 million home target in 2022 after its housing task force recommended (new window) the goal. The civil servants say they drew the high end estimates from a 2023 Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation look at the housing demand (new window) and supply gap, which they say takes into account what it would require to bring the market to 2003 levels of affordability. The briefing document also charts an approximately 1.2 million person surge in the province's population since 2021, which has contributed to housing needs. During that same period, it notes home starts have been on a steady decline, not hitting the yearly 100,000 required to meet the government's target. Plans for new supply have been challenged by high land and material costs, government fees and charges, shortages of skilled trades labour, labour disputes, supply chain issues and a backlog in housing-enabling municipal infrastructure, the civil servants wrote. WATCH | Government tables new bill aimed at speeding up housing construction: Début du widget Widget. Passer le widget ? Fin du widget Widget. Retourner au début du widget ? Ontario government tables new bill aimed at solving housing crisis Ontario's housing minister has announced a plan aimed at solving the housing crisis. The new legislation, which would speed up new home construction while lowering costs for developers, was tabled on Monday. A spokesperson for the minister did not directly answer questions about the higher housing demand range provided by the civil servants. Instead, Alexandra Sanita said in a statement that the government is spending $2.3 million over four years to help municipalities build the infrastructure they need for new homes. Earlier this month, the province passed its latest measures to accelerate home construction, Bill 17. The law allows builders to defer development charges until completion of a project and reduces the number of municipal studies required for new housing. During the news event to announce the bill, Flack didn't mention the 1.5 million home goal until he was asked about it by CBC News. It's a goal, but frankly I'm more focused, and our team is focused more, on the next 12 to 24 months, because if it stays the way it is now, we'll never get there, he responded. But is it forgotten? No way. Opposition calls for analysis of government housing plans Last week, Ontario's Financial Accountability Office released an economic update which highlighted the continued drop in housing construction. It found that 12,700 units were started in Ontario during the first three months of the year, a 20 per cent drop from the 15,900 units started in the first quarter of 2024. NDP housing critic Catherine McKenney has called on the watchdog to dig into the government's housing plan. We really need to hear from this government, said McKenney. Is housing still a priority? Ontario needs to hit the high end of the housing range provided by the civil service and do that by getting back in the business of building deeply affordable, non-profit, co-op and supportive housing, Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner said. It is increasingly being confirmed that the Ford government has abandoned building homes people can afford, he said. Housing targets 'in no danger' of being reached, experts say Richard Lyall, president of Residential Construction Council of Ontario, said he would support an increased target to 2.1 million homes, but at the current rate, the province won't even come close to hitting its original goal because its plan hasn't been effective. All governments need to lower fees for builders, he said. Whether it's the federal target, provincial target, City of Toronto target, they're in no danger of being hit, he said. And part of that is because when you set a target like that you have to break it down and work it backwards.' All levels of government should focus on building more modular homes, cutting municipal development charges, making cities whole for lost revenue, and freeing up public lands for housing at a low cost or for free, said Karen Chapple, director of the University of Toronto's School of Cities. But Chapple said the province needs to be realistic about its housing targets. People just kind of laugh now at that 1.5 million target, she said. York University professor of environmental and urban change Mark Winfield is skeptical of the government's 1.5 million home housing target (new window) because it doesn't break down types of housing required in the province. With cuts to federal immigration levels, declining home sales and a glut of unsold condos on the market, it's time for the government to rethink its strategy, he said. WATCH | Understanding the condo market: Début du widget Widget. Passer le widget ? Fin du widget Widget. Retourner au début du widget ? Why the condo market is plummeting during a housing crisis The condo market in two of Canada's big cities has taken a major downturn. CBC's Nisha Patel breaks down three reasons why condos aren't selling in the middle of a housing crisis. I find it a little hard to compute how you could possibly come up with those kinds of numbers, and indeed, how you could possibly build that many housing units if you wanted to, Winfield said. While home sales and interest rates have dropped and increased affordability for buyers, this might be temporary, said Jason Mercer, chief information officer for the Toronto and Region Real Estate Board. At some point down the road, we're going to see the demand for housing pick up, Mercer said. If we don't have enough supply in the pipeline because we took our foot off the gas from a policy perspective … we're just going to get into this vicious circle where we go from having a lot of inventory to having none at all and these volatile price swings. Shawn Jeffords (new window) · CBC News
CBC
23-06-2025
- Business
- CBC
Ontario needs to build more than 2 million homes in the next decade: internal docs
Ontario's target of building 1.5 million homes by 2031 may not be enough to meet demand, civil servants have told the province's new municipal affairs minister, saying that 2.1 million homes could instead be needed to improve affordability. The estimates come in briefing materials provided to Minister Rob Flack, as he took on the new portfolio in March. The document, obtained by CBC News through a freedom of information request, suggests the range of new homes Ontario needs could be as much as 600,000 higher than the current target set by the Progressive Conservative government. "It is estimated that between 1.5 million to 2.1 million new homes will need to be built in Ontario over roughly the next decade, based on assessments of the current housing supply shortfall and/or projected population growth," the public servants wrote. The government set its 1.5 million home target in 2022 after its housing task force recommended the goal. The civil servants say they drew the high end estimates from a 2023 Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation look at the housing demand and supply gap, which they say takes into account what it would require to bring the market to 2003 levels of affordability. The briefing document also charts an approximately 1.2 million person surge in the province's population since 2021, which has contributed to housing needs. During that same period, it notes home starts have been on a steady decline, not hitting the yearly 100,000 required to meet the government's target. "Plans for new supply have been challenged by high land and material costs, government fees and charges, shortages of skilled trades labour, labour disputes, supply chain issues and a backlog in housing-enabling municipal infrastructure," the civil servants wrote. Ontario government tables new bill aimed at solving housing crisis 1 month ago Duration 2:37 A spokesperson for the minister did not directly answer questions about the higher housing demand range provided by the civil servants. Instead, Alexandra Sanita said in a statement that the government is spending $2.3 million over four years to help municipalities build the infrastructure they need for new homes. Earlier this month, the province passed its latest measures to accelerate home construction, Bill 17. The law allows builders to defer development charges until completion of a project and reduces the number of municipal studies required for new housing. During the news event to announce the bill, Flack didn't mention the 1.5 million home goal until he was asked about it by CBC News. "It's a goal, but frankly I'm more focused, and our team is focused more, on the next 12 to 24 months, because if it stays the way it is now, we'll never get there," he responded. "But is it forgotten? No way." Opposition calls for analysis of government housing plans Last week, Ontario's Financial Accountability Office released an economic update which highlighted the continued drop in housing construction. It found that 12,700 units were started in Ontario during the first three months of the year, a 20 per cent drop from the 15,900 units started in the first quarter of 2024. NDP housing critic Catherine McKenney has called on the watchdog to dig into the government's housing plan. "We really need to hear from this government," she said. "Is housing still a priority?" Ontario needs to hit the high end of the housing range provided by the civil service and do that by getting back in the business of building deeply affordable, non-profit, co-op and supportive housing, Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner said. "It is increasingly being confirmed that the Ford government has abandoned building homes people can afford," he said. Housing targets 'in no danger' of being reached, experts say Richard Lyall, president of Residential Construction Council of Ontario, said he would support an increased target to 2.1 million homes, but at the current rate, the province won't even come close to hitting its original goal because its plan hasn't been effective. All governments need to lower fees for builders, he said. "Whether it's the federal target, provincial target, City of Toronto target, they're in no danger of being hit," he said. "And part of that is because when you set a target like that you have to break it down and work it backwards.'" All levels of government should focus on building more modular homes, cutting municipal development charges, making cities whole for lost revenue, and freeing up public lands for housing at a low cost or for free, said Karen Chapple, director of the University of Toronto's School of Cities. But Chapple said the province needs to be realistic about its housing targets. "People just kind of laugh now at that 1.5 million target," she said. York University professor of environmental and urban change Mark Winfield is skeptical of the government's 1.5 million home housing target because it doesn't break down types of housing required in the province. With cuts to federal immigration levels, declining home sales and a glut of unsold condos on the market, it's time for the government to rethink its strategy, he said. WATCH | Understanding the condo market: Why the condo market is plummeting during a housing crisis 1 month ago Duration 5:59 The condo market in two of Canada's big cities has taken a major downturn. CBC's Nisha Patel breaks down three reasons why condos aren't selling in the middle of a housing crisis. "I find it a little hard to compute how you could possibly come up with those kinds of numbers, and indeed, how you could possibly build that many housing units if you wanted to," Winfield said. While home sales and interest rates have dropped and increased affordability for buyers, this might be temporary, said Jason Mercer, chief information officer for the Toronto and Region Real Estate Board. "At some point down the road, we're going to see the demand for housing pick up," Mercer said.
CTV News
22-06-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Provincial funding provided to Township of Pelee and five municipalities after flooding events
The Ontario government recently announced funding to help pay for costs caused by flooding in the Township of Pelee and five municipalities in Timiskaming District. Up to $730,000 will be provided through the Municipal Disaster Recovery Assistance program to help pay for emergency response costs and the repair and rebuilding of critical infrastructure, the government announced on June 20. The funding comes after flooding events caused significant damage in August 2023 and April 2024. The township of Pelee will receive up to $46,000, while the Timiskaming District will receive $648,000. Rob Flack, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, said the financial support will help repair local infrastructure, protect jobs and keep people safe. 'Our government is stepping up to support our municipalities suffering from extensive damage due to unexpected natural disasters,' said Flack in a statement. The flooding in August 2023 resulted in significant costs to the Township of Pelee, such as fuel to operate pumps and repair damaged roads. In April 2024, heavy rainfall combined with frozen ground resulted in flooding which damaged municipal infrastructure in the Township of Armstrong, Township of Chamberlain, Municipality of Charlton and Dack, Township of Kerns and Township of McGarry. Municipalities receive funding under the program if operating and capital costs are over and above regular municipal budgets and linked directly to the disaster.
Global News
19-06-2025
- Business
- Global News
Peel Region paused borrowing because of ‘perceived uncertainty' from Ontario policies
A major Ontario municipality was forced to stop borrowing money to invest in various projects for two years because of 'perceived uncertainty' caused by policies and reversals put forward by the Ford government. The Region of Peel, one of the province's largest local governments, didn't borrow any money in either 2023 or 2024 because of instability brought about by the province's attempts to split up the municipality. The admission that government policy and reversals had a direct impact on the Peel Region's ability to borrow was contained in briefing documents prepared for Rob Flack, the minister of municipal affairs and housing. 'As a result of perceived uncertainty related to any potential restructuring, Peel Region has experienced challenges accessing financing from capital markets,' the documents, obtained by Global News using freedom of information laws, said. 'Peel Region and the lower-tier municipalities are seeking stability on the future state of service delivery.' Story continues below advertisement That uncertainty stems from the Ford government's semi-reversed attempts to disband the Region of Peel and give all its powers to its member municipalities, Brampton, Caledon and Mississauga. The split was first announced in May 2023, with a transition board created and an aggressive timeline to have it complete by the beginning of 2025. 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. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy A year before that was set to happen, however, the government announced it was reversing the split. In the end, after an intervention from the chair of the transition board, the government settled on a watered-down, partial breakup of the local government. The reversals and policy shifts left the Region of Peel in a sticky spot. In particular, part of the Hazel McCallion Act — tabled in 2023 to dissolve the region — gave the transition board planning the move significant power. 'The original Hazel McCallion Act, unfortunately, had a clause in it that said the transition board could amend things, and that clause had an unintended consequence that we didn't feel we could enter the capital markets,' Mississauga and Peel Coun. Joe Horneck explained. 'If the legal clause was there, the transition board could renegotiate things. Someone purchasing our debt might say, 'Well, how do I know they won't decide to execute that option and my money vanishes?'' As a result, Peel was out in the cold and unable to borrow for all of 2023 and all of 2024. Story continues below advertisement Horneck said the clause had left the local government exposed to a potentially difficult situation. 'We were able to utilize the reserves we had,' he said. 'We were kind of in the fall coming into a point where we would have been worryingly low, but we were able to get out from under the legislation in time.' Horneck said that if changes had not come, the region could have been forced to ask the province for 'some kind of bridge financing' or — in a scenario both the local and provincial governments would have looked to avoid — delay or cancel construction plans. The transition board was dissolved in December 2024, allowing the region to start borrowing again, which it did in April. A spokesperson for the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing said the Ford government had 'made record investments' in the area and would 'continue to work collaboratively with Mississauga, Brampton, and Caledon to support them through the transition process.' They did not directly address questions about borrowing issues or delays in tabling legislation to complete the Peel Region transition. Ontario NDP municipal critic Jeff Burch characterized the split as 'chaotic and irresponsible' from when it was first announced in May 2023. 'This has been a sloppy, unprofessional mess from the beginning,' he said. 'It's no surprise that no one, including financial markets, has any confidence in this government's ability to manage the situation.'
