Ontario to let towns, cities elect councils with ranked ballots
Municipal Affairs Minister Ted McMeekin said Monday he is “disappointed” with Toronto’s about-face on the voting system.

Thestar.com
April 4, 2016
By David Rider

Ontario’s municipal affairs minister is “really disappointed” Toronto councillors backed away from ranked ballots and hopes voters will convince them to embrace the new election system.

Ted McMeekin made the comments Monday while revealing proposed municipal election changes that would give Ontario towns and cities, in a first for Canada, the option of using ranked ballots to elect their councils.

Ranked ballots would replace the “first past the post” system - where the candidate with the most votes wins - with one whereby voters rank candidates in their order of preference, possibly first, second and third.

A candidate with the majority of first-place votes - 50 per cent plus one - wins, just as in the current system. If nobody wins a clear majority, the candidate with the fewest first-place votes is knocked out. Their second choices are added to other candidates’ totals and so on, until one has a majority of votes and is declared the winner.

Proponents of the system, used in a growing number of U.S. cities, including Minneapolis and Sarasota, say it discourages negative campaigning, boosts ethnic diversity on councils and stymies polarizing political figures.

Toronto council lobbied Ontario, via a 2013 vote, to allow the switch. But with potential change looming, the new council voted last fall to reverse that support - saying preferably no ranked ballots in Ontario, and absolutely none in Toronto without a referendum, despite Mayor John Tory’s strong support for the change.

“I was really disappointed to see it, as was the mayor,” said McMeekin, adding about 94 per cent of Ontarians who gave the Liberal government feedback on electoral reform supported ranked ballots.

McMeekin noted the legislation he introduced Monday requires community consultation before a switch in voting systems as early as 2018, adding he hopes Toronto and other local governments will be “brave enough to expose the idea to their constituents and hear their feedback.”

Toronto Councillor Glenn De Baeremaeker, who supported ranked ballots in 2013 and then voted against them last year, said he supports getting residents’ feedback about the provincial reform plans.

“It was public input that suggested to me that we don’t really have a problem, that the current system isn’t broken,” he said in an interview. “If we have more public input that says something different, my mind is always open.”

Other proposed changes include:

• Cutting the marathon municipal-election campaigns by 120 days. They currently run from Jan. 1 of an election year until late October. McMeekin wants to prevent candidates from campaigning until May 1;

• Regulating “third party” advertising that supports candidates but is not funded directly by their campaign. The arms-length supporters would have to abide by spending and contribution limits, just like candidates, and identify themselves on signs and advertisements;

• Streamline and strengthen campaign rules, including giving all municipalities the power to ban corporate and union donations as Toronto does. McMeekin also wants strict limits on post-campaign spending to prohibit past abuses, including surplus donations being spent on a lavish parties and even Rolex watches for volunteers;

• Cracking down on candidates who don’t follow the rules. For example, candidates who miss the filing deadline for financial statements wouldn’t get their nomination fees refunded;

• Requiring town and city clerks to create “accessibility plans” to identify and remove any potential barriers to participation by disabled candidates and voters.

Reversed positions

Seven city councillors voted in 2013 in favour of Toronto moving to ranked ballots to elect council, but then voted against it when the issue returned to council in 2014.

• Michelle Holland (formerly Berardinetti): The parks committee chair represents Ward 35 Scarborough Southwest and won the 2014 election with 63 per cent of the vote.

• Cesar Palacio: The licensing committee chair represents Ward 17 Davenport and won the 2014 election with 46 per cent of the vote.

• Jaye Robinson: The public works committee chair represents Ward 25 Don Valley West and won the 204 election with 83 per cent of the vote.

• Gary Crawford: The budget chief represents Ward 36 Scarborough Southwest and won the 2014 election with 53 per cent of the vote.

• Anthony Perruzza: The public works committee member represents Ward 8 York West and won the 2014 election with 71 per cent of the vote.

• Glenn De Baeremaeker: The deputy mayor for east Toronto represents Ward 38 Scarborough Centre and won the 2014 election with 70 per cent of the vote.

• Mary Fragedakis: The economic development committee member represents Ward 29 Toronto Danforth and won the 2014 election with 59 per cent of the vote.