The Board of the Association of Municipalities Ontario (AMO) recently approved a submission to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing concerning the 2015 Municipal Act five-year review and Municipal Conflict of Interest Act review. 

Regarding the review of the Municipal Act, the Board confirmed that it believes that the broad powers of municipal government, the spheres of jurisdiction, and natural person powers of the act are working well and that no major overhaul is needed.

 

Regarding the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act, the board has set out a series of desired outcomes that should be used to evaluate any proposed change - in particular, it noted that any municipal accountability framework should be easily understood by elected officials and the public. Additionally, any changes to the framework must not expose staff and municipal governments to increased liability.