Public input sought on City of Toronto Act, 2006 and other municipal legislation

The City of Toronto encourages Torontonians to provide their input this summer to the Province of Ontario on how municipal legislation is working. Led by the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, the Province is reviewing key pieces of municipal legislation to ensure that municipalities across Ontario have the tools, powers and flexibility they need to effectively serve their communities.

The Province is reviewing:

• The City of Toronto Act, 2006 (COTA), which applies to the City of Toronto.
• The Municipal Act, 1990, which applies to all other Ontario municipalities.
• The Municipal Conflict of Interest Act, 1990 (MCIA), which applies to all municipalities in Ontario and regulates the conduct of members of Council when participating in a meeting of City Council or a committee.
• The Municipal Elections Act, 1996 (MEA), which is the provincial statute that outlines the rules governing municipal elections.

The public can access a discussion guide with additional details about the COTA legislation that is under review and provide comments on the COTA and the MCIA online at http://www.ontario.ca/provincialmunicipalreview until August 7.

The public can access a discussion guide and provide online comments for the review of the Municipal Elections Act (MEA) at http://www.ontario.ca/municipalelections. Comments concerning the MEA must be received by July 27, so that any changes to the legislation, if passed, will be completed and in place with sufficient time for municipalities to prepare for the 2018 elections.

The legislative reviews are an important opportunity to identify key changes to ensure that Toronto has the tools and powers needed to provide good government within its jurisdiction.

The City of Toronto, in partnership with Ontario Coalition of Agencies Serving Immigrants (OCASI), will be hosting two Open Dialogue sessions designed to start a conversation about a variety of social issues affecting our communities, and to engage a broad range of community members, including Councillors, staff and community agencies.

Date: Thursday, January 16
Time: 9:30 a.m. to noon: Permanent Resident Voting in Municipal Elections
1:30 to 4 p.m.: Newcomer Access to City Services
Location: The 519 Church Street Community Centre
519 Church St., 2nd Floor Auditorium

Through a public conversation, the City wants to identify what’s working, what needs to change and what are the best ways to address barriers to City services for newcomers. The City also wants to identify next steps in facilitating civic participation of newcomers.

Improving access to City services for new immigrants and supporting their civic engagement are two of the pillars of the Toronto Newcomer Strategy, endorsed by Toronto City Council in 2013. The Strategy was developed through extensive consultation and research, which identified that newcomers experience multiple barriers in accessing City services.

To learn more or to register for a session, visit: http://www.toronto.ca/opendialogue or call 311 or my office (416-392-7012).