Halton Hills council calls for urgent update to 30-year-old Municipal Elections Act

By Fatima Raza, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, TheIFP.ca

Halton Hills Town Council is urging the Province of Ontario to prioritize updates to the Municipal Elections Act (MEA) ahead of the 2026 municipal and school board elections.

The motion, moved by Coun. Alex Hilson and seconded by Mayor Ann Lawlor, highlights that the current MEA, which will be 30 years old by the next elections, requires modernization to address ongoing challenges. The motion was passed by council on Monday evening.

“When you look at a piece of legislation this old, it could use an update,” said Hilson during the meeting, noting the legislation was created before much of today’s technological advancements like smartphones, social media and Google.

The motion highlights that the Association of Municipal Managers, Clerks and Treasurers of Ontario (AMCTO) has reviewed the Act and made recommendations for modernizing it, harmonizing rules, and simplifying administration. AMCTO has suggested amendments to be made before the 2026 elections, along with longer-term changes for the 2030 elections.

Hilson emphasized that AMCTO, as an 85-year-old organization representing more than 2,000 municipal professionals supporting these recommendations should solidify the need to make the changes.

“We’re not the only ones doing this, it is a big act and one that needs to be updated with proper process at the provincial level,” said Hilson. “I hope our councillors around the table can support me and the mayor on this one.”

Hilson’s remarks were promptly agreed to by the mayor chiming in to say “Ditto.”

“Those are all excellent reasons and I concur with every single one of them. I thank him for bringing it forward and simply say Ditto,” said Lawlor.

The motion urges amendments suggested by the AMCTO be implemented by summer 2025 and begin the work to review and rewrite the MEA with longer-term recommendations ahead of the 2030 elections.

Additionally, council plans to share the resolution with all municipalities in Ontario, seeking their support for the proposed changes. Each endorsement will then be then forwarded to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, the Minister of Education, the Minister of Public Business Service Delivery, Ministry of Finance, the Premier of Ontario, Halton MPPs, AMO and AMCTO.