Ontario needs a law to punish councillors for violence and harassment, advocates say

Advocates and opposition parties are calling on the Ontario government to pass legislation that would hold municipal councillors accountable for violence and harassment.

Emily McIntosh, founder of Women of Ontario Say No, said she started the non-partisan advocacy group in 2022 to lobby the government to address the problem. Now, her group is demanding action after watching the government block private member bills on the issue while ministers agree there's a need for change. 

Such legislation would protect municipal staff, she said.

"We should not have to work this hard to ensure that our basic human rights are protected," she said at a news conference at Queen's Park on Wednesday. 

"We are asking municipally elected representatives to be held to the very same standard as every other working Ontarian."

Municipalities, advocates and opposition politicians have been calling for action on the issue for years. Currently, councillors can only lose their seats when they break election spending rules and certain conflict of interest policies. The most severe penalty is suspension of pay — something McIntosh says deters victims, particularly women, from coming forward. Many leave their jobs instead, she said.

Last month at a Rural Ontario Municipality Association (ROMA) conference, Housing and Municipal Affairs Minister Paul Calandra said he's working closely with ROMA and the attorney general "to do something" about the problem.

When asked if it's possible to deliver results by the summer, Calandra said, "I don't see why not."

"I want to make sure that what we do bring forward is constitutional. It is a very important piece of legislation," he told reporters Wednesday.

"It has to actually achieve the results that I think that everybody is asking for. Absolutely, we are going to bring something forward."

The government launched consultations in 2021 in response to pressure, including from the Association of Municipalities of Ontario for more severe penalties regarding the most serious violations of codes of conduct for municipal elected officials.

The move came after CBC News and two integrity commissioner reports revealed former Ottawa city councillor Rick Chiarelli harassed former staff members and job applicants for years, as well as abused his power of office. Council urged Chiarelli to resign, but he refused. Victims later launched petitions to remove him.

In an emailed statement, Calandra's office confirmed consultations with municipalities and work with the office of the attorney general "to devise the best path forward are still ongoing."

David Arbuckle, executive director of the Association of Municipal Managers, Clerks and Treasurers of Ontario, said most staff and councillor relationships are positive and respectful, but members are reporting the overall relationship between elected officials and city staff is becoming "increasingly confrontational."