Newmarket backs bill that would oust councillors for harassment

Municipalities pushing province to ensure council members are subject to workplace harassment policies

Newmarkettoday.ca
June 7, 2023
Joseph Quigley

The Town of Newmarket is supporting efforts to ensure council members are beholden to workplace harassment policies.

Council voted June 5 to support Bill 5, legislation that amends provincial regulations to ensure integrity commissioners could apply to have council members vacate their seats for violating workplace harassment policies of a town. In such scenarios, the legislation would also ensure a council member could not immediately run for re-election.

The legislation has been widely supported by 156 municipalities, according to the advocacy group The Women of Ontario Say No. Councillor Bob Kwapis brought the resolution to the Newmarket council and said municipal workplaces should be free of violence and harassment.

“It’s hard to believe elected officials are held to a different standard in the workplace,” Kwapis said. “The bill would create safer workplaces and hold municipal officials to a higher level of accountability.”

The legislation has been in the works for a couple of years in the wake of some high-profile harassment cases involving councillors, such as in Ottawa. A second reading of the opposition private member’s bill was defeated in the legislature last week, but the advocacy group said the Conservative government has previously developed similar legislation. The group said they want municipalities to keep showing support to try and push the government to introduce a different version of the bill in the fall.

The group said there is a lack of penalty in municipal legislation, with the maximum being a suspension of pay for 90 days. There is no current process for removing councillors from office “even when egregious acts are committed and substantiated,” the group said on its website.

The resolution states that Newmarket endorses the bill, which would permit municipalities to direct the integrity commissioner to apply to the court to vacate a member’s seat if an inquiry determines a councillor or board member has contravened workplace harassment policies.

Councillor Christina Bisanz said it is important that municipally elected officials respect their role.

“That includes making sure that we are respectful and are free from any kind of harassment, whether it be staff or the public or even fellow councillor members,” Bisanz said. “It is time that it be acknowledged in provincial legislation.”

Newmarket Mayor John Taylor said he supports the legislation, but the province needs to work carefully around the court application process.

“It’s critical it has to be applied to the court to do this. I am concerned about members of council voting on a motion to remove another member,” Taylor said. “It’s sad we have to go to this step, but I’ve seen enough, and I’ve learned enough in communities around the GTA where this is unfortunately necessary.”