Ontario set to finally pass municipal code of conduct, councillor reforms

The Ford government has called its reform of the rules governing misbehaving councillors for its third and final reading, with the legislation expected to finally pass on Tuesday.

The proposed law, known as Bill 9 or the Municipal Accountability Act, was first tabled in May 2025 and passed through committee over the summer, but has languished for months while other laws have been approved.

It would standardize municipal codes of conduct, give the provincial integrity commissioner a more direct say and create a mechanism to remove councillors in the most extreme cases.

Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Rob Flack pledged in April that the legislation would be passed before municipal elections and it now looks set to become law before MPPs return to their ridings for the summer.

Get daily National news

Get daily Canada news delivered to your inbox so you’ll never miss the day’s top stories.

One advocate said it was vital the bill is finally being adopted.

“Bill 9 is a monumental step forward for the accountability of bad actors,” Emily McIntosh, the founder of The Women of Ontario Say No, said.

“It will be preventative in nature by sending the message that egregious misconduct by municipal politicians will be dealt with. Albeit flawed, the legislation is a first step in critical change to support safe workplaces.”

It has taken years to get to this point.

Back in 2021, the province came within days of introducing a law which would have allowed judges to disqualify councillors and made elected officials pay for the cost of investigations into their conduct.

But the legislation disappeared without ever being tabled. A new version was finally introduced at the end of 2024 and was later ditched when Premier Doug Ford called a snap election.

Bill 9 was reintroduced in May and then sent to committee, where advocates pushed for changes around how a councillor can be removed.

As it stands, the legislation will allow for the creation of a standard code of conduct for all municipalities, with penalties of removing and disqualifying a member from office if they are in serious violation of the code.

Removal and disqualification 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.

Allowing council to vote again to endorse the removal has raised concerns among some advocates and smaller municipalities.