The Ford government is out with a new bill on local governance which will crackdown on councillors behaving badly.
Ontario municipal councillors could be removed from office and disqualified from running again under new provincial legislation introduced by the Conservative government that would increase penalties for violating a municipal code of conduct.
Municipalities have for years been calling for updated codes of conduct to address workplace harassment, as well as stricter penalties for those who violate the rules, including removal from office.
Specifically for Niagara, the bill transfers land-use planning responsibilities from Niagara Region, to local municipalities as of March 31, 2025.
Niagara West Conservative MPP Sam Oosterhoff says it will help simplify approvals and get more shovels in the ground.
Here is the official wording:
Remove Upper-Tier Planning Responsibilities
Ontario remains committed to reducing municipal duplication across the province to deliver on shared provincial-municipal priorities, all while supporting its municipal partners. Effective January 1, 2025, Durham and Waterloo Regions would have their land-use planning responsibilities removed so that local municipalities in these regions can better plan for growth. The same changes would be made for Niagara Region as of March 31, 2025. This builds on legislative changes made earlier to the Planning Act that, once in force, allow for the removal of statutory powers from seven upper-tier municipalities: Durham, Halton, Niagara, Peel, Simcoe, Waterloo, and York. Planning changes for Peel, Halton and York Regions came into effect on July 1, 2024. Once in effect, the local municipalities within these regions have primary responsibility for all land use planning in their geographies, except for matters requiring provincial approval.
Oosterhoff says this is not the end of amalgamation talk in Niagara.
He says the conversation will continue as the Region has an abnormally high number of elected officials compared to the local population.