Push to hold elected officials accountable against workplace harassment gains momentum in Barrie

A renewed push aimed at holding local elected officials accountable if found to have harassed or abused others in the workplace is gaining momentum in Barrie.

Advocate Emily McIntosh is part of the leadership group trying to get legislation passed that she says will prevent ongoing abuse and sexual harassment in cities and towns across the province by elected officials who can't lose their jobs unless voted out.

"We still are seeing councillors, and often the outliers, perpetrating violence and harassment in a way that is going unchecked," said McIntosh from outside City Hall in Barrie.

• Download the CTV News app to get local alerts on your device
• Get the latest local updates sent to your email inbox

'Accountability now' is the message from the advocacy group Women of Ontario Say No as it fights for the provincial government to pass the legislation McIntosh says now has the backing of about 200 municipalities across the province.

The group urges the Ford government to pass it after the private members' bill titled Stopping Harassment and Abuse by Local Leaders Act failed last May.

The provincial government expressed concerns over giving Integrity Commissioners greater powers; in the process of potentially removing a local elected official from their seat if they were found to have violated the city or town's code of conduct for workplace harassment and abuse.

"What the process for removal looks like can be revisited. Maybe they want a third-party adjudicating body. There are a lot of options here, but what we need from this government is an absolute commitment to get this on the table and get it on the table now," said McIntosh.

"In any other workplace in Ontario, if there was a claim of harassment, it is investigated, and if it is substantiated to be true, there is always an opportunity for termination in the most egregious circumstances; we are asking for elected reps to be brought up to the very same standard as every other working Ontarian."

Amy Courser, city councillor for Barrie Ward 4, agrees change is needed and was shocked to learn of the laws in place, which she said fall short of holding those in public office to the standard followed by all other employees in workplaces in Ontario.

Barrie's previous city council in September 2022 unanimously supported the now-failed Bill 5 and recommended the province pass the proposed legislation.

"And the way it sits right now that if I was abusive to a position, somebody that actually worked at City Hall or another councillor, that I would just get my payout for 90 days. I wouldn't lose my position, so that means that whoever is being harassed and abused comes to work every single day, knowing that they have no recourse," said Courser.

Neither Barrie-Innisfil MPP Andrea Khanjin nor Barrie-Springwater-Oro-Medonte MPP Doug Downey offered comment on the bill.

"This type of legislation is not something to be feared; it is something to be embraced, and at its core, it is about instilling public trust in publicly-elected positions that are paid for by the taxpayer," McIntosh said.

"This really struck a chord for me when we are looking at how incongruent it is that those people with the most power in communities would be held to a lower standard than every other person who works in Ontario."

McIntosh highlighted the disproportionate representation of men in municipal politics compared to women.

"I think we have to really be thinking about the roots of politics in this country, and we know that is extremely patriarchal. We have complete under-representation from so many different communities, but in particular, women who constitute 51 per cent of our population are not even close to 51 per cent of the decision-makers."

McIntosh believes the legislation will prevent harassment and abuse in the workplaces of municipal politics with potential punishments that fit the actions.

"This legislation is preventative in nature. We don't want situations escalating that have to go to the courts. We want ways to be able to investigate, substantiate, and have appropriate mechanisms to address."

The group plans to meet with government officials and the office of the Ministry of Municipal Affairs later this week to continue advocating for the legislation to be passed.