Puslinch Mayor Dennis Lever sees interesting things happening as result of Bill 68, the proposed Modernizing Ontario’s Municipal Legislation Act and Conflict of Interest Act.
The item came up briefly during the township’s meeting on Dec. 7.
The Bill was introduced to the Ontario Legislature on Nov. 16.
The proposed legislation is the result of the review of three key elements of Ontario’s municipal legislative framework: the Municipal Act, 2001, City of Toronto Act, 2006 and the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act.
If passed, the province states the changes would benefit local governments and residents by:
– increasing fairness and reducing barriers for women and parents elected to municipal governments by allowing time off for pregnancy or parental leave;
– empowering municipalities to address climate change in their communities through by-laws related to green construction;
– broadening municipal investment powers, which may help better finance repairs and replacements of local infrastructure;
– improving access to justice for the public and for municipal councillors by allowing integrity commissioners to investigate complaints; and
– requiring municipalities to have a code of conduct for members of municipal councils and local boards.
Available for viewing online
Correspondence also noted the proposed Bill 68 is online through the Legislative Assembly of Ontario website: www.ontla.on.ca.
