AMO Comments on Bill 9, OPP Billing Review, Waste Management and OMA Consultations at the AMO Conference

AMO Comments on Bill 9, Municipal Accountability Act, 2025 

The Municipal Accountability Act, 2025 is a necessary step forward in supporting safe and respectful working environments for members of council and municipal staff. The municipal sector has long advocated for provincial code of conduct legislation and AMO commends Minister Flack for reintroducing this important bill.  

Yesterday, AMO President Robin Jones presented to the Standing Committee on Heritage, Infrastructure, and Cultural Policy. She expressed broad support for many aspects of the legislation, including the enabling of the standardization of municipal codes of conduct and integrity commissioner investigation processes.  

In her remarks and our written submission, AMO has advocated for two amendments to the legislation:  

• AMO recommends that the removal from office vote be adjusted from unanimous to a supermajority (a vote by at least 2/3 of Council). We recognize that a vote to remove an elected municipal official from office is fundamentally different than a regular council vote, but the current proposal sets too high of a threshold. Previously, AMO had advocated for the removal from office procedure to be in the hands of the judiciary. However, in recognizing that the government is interested in leaving this decision to elected municipal officials, we believe that a council supermajority vote is more appropriate. 
   
• AMO recommends that the legislation includes a progressive range of discipline options for integrity commissioners, aligned with what was established under the Education Act in 2023. This would provide a standard list of penalties that could be applied apart from removal from office, including censure of a member, barring attendance at meetings, barring a member from sitting on committees, and barring a member from being chair or vice chair of committees.   

AMO Input on the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) Billing Model Review  

Earlier this summer, the Ministry of the Solicitor General wrote to all impacted Mayors and CAOs announcing the launch of a review of the OPP billing model. The Ministry has been consulting widely with municipalities over the past month.  

On July 11th, AMO wrote to the Solicitor General to provide input on behalf of the entire municipal sector. AMO appreciates the province’s willingness to consider changes to the current OPP billing model. However, increasing police costs are impacting all Ontario municipalities and are only one element of a broader discussion that is needed on reforming the provincial-municipal fiscal relationship. 

To that end, AMO made comments on:  

• Improving transparency and bill timing  

• Addressing municipal police spending on areas of provincial responsibility 

• Provincial funding to offset costs associated with police away from work on WSIB approved leaves of absences 

• Removing a 2008 cap on provincial funding for uploaded prisoner transport and court security costs  

• Addressing the inequitable cost burden faced by service hub municipalities 

AMO looks forward to continuing to work with the government to ensure both community safety and fiscal sustainability for our members. 

AMO Advocacy on Waste Management 

AMO has sent two letters to the Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks regarding waste management practices in Ontario. AMO continues to support exploring new approaches to supporting priority projects and meeting the waste management needs of Ontario’s growing communities. 

AMO wrote to the Minister on July 7 expressing concerns about proposed amendments to the Blue Box Regulation that would delay recovery targets, reverse producer responsibility for away-from-home public space blue bin collection, and remove the planned expansion of blue box services for multi-residential buildings, schools, long-term care, and retirement homes. These changes would likely reduce waste diversion rates, increase municipal waste management costs, and leave residents without blue box service.  

On July 15, AMO wrote to the Minister about the use of Bill 5 to remove environmental assessment (EA) requirements for the Dresden Waste Disposal Site (a landfill). While we recognize that the EA process can be onerous and create delays in advancing landfills, this decision sets a precedent that could see any of the over 600 active and inactive landfills across Ontario expanded without reviewing impacts to the environment or nearby communities. AMO recommends the Province establish a modernized approval process for landfills, balancing the need to expedite waste management infrastructure with strong environmental and community protection. 
 

OMA Healthcare Meetings with Municipalities at the AMO Conference 

Across Ontario, communities continue to face serious challenges in our health-care system, including: long wait times for surgeries and specialist care, difficulty finding a family doctor and increasing demands for mental health services. These are not just medical issues; they are economic and community challenges that affect every resident and municipality. 

Building on last year’s successful collaboration with the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO), the Ontario Medical Association (OMA) will again host one-on-one meetings at the Fairmont Château Laurier, across the road from the Conference venue, on August 18 and 19. These 15-minute sessions are an opportunity to share your community’s health-care concerns directly with our senior leadership and discuss how the OMA can partner more closely going forward. 

To schedule a 15-minute meeting with the OMA, please contact Tarun Saroya at Tarun.Saroya@oma.org. Due to limited availability, meetings will be scheduled on a first come first served basis. 

The OMA looks forward to your participation and partnership at AMO and beyond.