Municipal election changes include earlier election date, donation caps
Posted October 28, 2009
A bill introduced by the Liberal government yesterday will move municipal
elections in Ontario forward from the second Monday in November to the
4th Monday of October and sets new limits on individual contributions to
candidates.
The proposed legislative changes would apply to municipal and school
board elections and take effect immediately beginning with the general
elections in 2010, which will be held province-wide on Oct. 25. Candidates
running for office can register with the municipal clerk beginning Jan.
4, 2010.
Specifically, the legislation would:
Move the election date forward to the fourth Monday of October (October
25, 2010).
Improve the accuracy of voters' lists by providing the Municipal Property
Assessment Corporation and municipalities with potential access to additional
information.
Require voters to provide identification at a voting place.
Ensure that each voting place is accessible to voters with disabilities.
The financing of municipal elections would be reformed through these measures:
A new contribution limit of $5,000 per contributor in each jurisdiction,
in addition to the existing limit of $750 per candidate.
For future elections, candidates would not be able to keep surplus campaign
funds - surpluses instead would go to municipalities.
Expenses related to a candidate's disability would be campaign expenses
excluded from candidate's spending limit.
Those running to be head of a municipal council can spend up to $7,500
plus 70 cents per eligible elector, while members of council or local board
can spend up to $5,000 plus 70 cents per eligible elector in the ward.
Compliance and enforcement measures include:
A firm deadline for filing financial statements.
Municipalities and school boards required to appoint audit committees to
hear and decide on applications for compliance audits.
Strengthened penalties for contravention of the Act (up to $25,000 fine
for individuals and up to $50,000 for corporations and trade unions).
These proposed amendments represent the second consecutive significant changes
to municipal elections in Ontario. For the 2006 elections,
the Liberal government added one year to municipal council and school board
trustee terms making them four year sessions.
New Tecumseth mayor Mike MacEachern said this morning he doesn't expect
the municipal election reforms will have much impact here.
"I am not seeing how the proposed changes will have all that much effect
or that they will make a difference in New Tecumseth."
What will be different in 2010, was locally imposed through the ward boundary review carried out over the summer. Changes include the addition of one councillor to make it 10 including mayor and deputy mayor, and the redrawing of wards from five to eight, with one councillor one ward.
