On February 25th, Minister Doug Downey introduced Bill 254: Protecting Ontario Elections Act.

While the bill proposes a number of changes to processes and rules for Provincial elections, it would also make amendments to the Municipal Elections Act, 1996 (MEA) .

As you will recall in our submission on the MEA in September of 2020 we had asked for permissive authority for electronic form filings which is reflected in the proposal:

The proposed amendments to the MEA would:

• Enable clerks to allow candidates and third-party advertisers to submit their nomination and registration forms electronically;
• Allow registered third-party advertisers to end their advertising campaigns before voting day; and,
• Clarify that if a third-party advertiser files a nomination to run for office, their advertising campaign automatically ends. 

The proposed changes would come into effect upon Royal Assent and would apply to municipal by-elections held during the current term as well as future regular municipal elections.

AMCTO staff are reviewing the bill. Should you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to Alana Del Greco, Manager of Policy and Government Relations.

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