Bracebridge supports AMCTO recommendations to the outdated Municipal Election Act

Bracebridge General Committee supported recommendations to the outdated Municipal Election Act, in the October 1, 2024, meeting.

According to the agenda, the Association of Municipal Managers, Clerks, and Treasurers of Ontario (AMCTO) are making recommendations to the almost 30-year-old MEA that reflect a modern framework to address current needs and ongoing challenges moving forward.

The agenda adds, “Legislation needs to strike the right balance between providing clear rules and frameworks to ensure the integrity of the electoral processes.”

Mayor, Rick Maloney, expressed that challenges with the current Act include not aligning with other Acts, such as the Education Act and Municipal Act, therefore, the AMCTO is recommending a “whole revamp of the legislation.”

He added, “At the end of the day, we want to have elections that are accessible for residents, that are transparent, that meet the needs of our community in terms of voting methods and methodologies and provide more consistency across the board with other municipalities on how elections are actually run.”

Councillor, Don Smith, inquired about transparency and issues around donor and voter identification “and the need to not have as much info in the public reporting.” He expressed that voter identification is important to be able to reach out to them, and not knowing who they are creates a transparency issue.

Town Clerk, Lori McDonald, advised that current legislation doesn’t permit municipal clerks to “redact personal information if requested by an elector or donor.”

She added, “Generally we’re not looking to be less transparent. I think we’re looking to be a little bit more responsible to maybe some individual safety or personal requests, and deal with those sorts of things under the privacy legislation, as opposed to trying to vacate a sort of square box into a round one and try to come up with creative solutions using our clerk powers under elections to try to protect people’s privacy.”

Smith expressed concern about someone, such as a developer, making a “sizable donation” without the community being aware due to privacy legislation.

Councillor, Debbie Vernon, concurred, likening it to “a double-edge sword…especially when we hear through media and news sources about political interference and where the money’s coming from.”

McDonald advised the AMCTO has measures in place, including campaign spending limits and the amount of donations a candidate can receive. She added, “Hopefully when there is a draft legislation in place there is an opportunity for us to respond accordingly.”

Maloney indicated the goal of the resolution is to have the government review the legislative recommendations, including privacy issues “where the legislation is inconsistent with what the Provincial Elections Act says.”

He added, “Fundamentally what AMCTO’s petitioning is, ‘Let’s get some consistency around this. Let’s ensure that municipal clerks are not in a position to not be able to protect a vulnerable person in our community.’”

The agenda indicates that recommendations be made with consideration to the amendments prior to the elections in 2026 and with ongoing considerations for 2030.

The Town supported the AMCTO by requesting the province update the MEA with priority to amendments prior to summer 2025, and to review and rewrite it with the further recommendations prior to the 2030 elections.