Yesterday, Toronto City Council declared the Ward 1 – Etobicoke North seat vacant, as required by law. The process to fill the vacancy will begin on Monday, July 25, as outlined below. Council will meet on Monday, August 15 at 1:30 p.m. to fill the vacancy.
By law, Council must fill vacancies when it is greater than 90 days until the next municipal election, which is on Monday, October 24 this year. As well, by-elections are not permitted after March 31 in an election year.
Council also requested that the Province of Ontario amend the City of Toronto Act so that in the event that a future Council vacancy occurs after March 31 in an election year, the City is not required to fill the vacancy. This request will not impact the current process to fill the vacant Council seat in Ward 1 – Etobicoke North; the process will comply with current legislation.
Individuals who meet the required criteria can register as a candidate for the vacancy and Council will vote to appoint one candidate to fill the vacancy. This appointment will fill the position until the end of the current term of City Council on Monday, November 14.
To be considered for this position, candidates must be:
Applications open at 8:30 a.m. on Monday, July 25 and close at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, August 4. Interested individuals must complete the Consent of Nominee and Declaration of Qualification form and provide identification showing name and qualifying address.
The form will be available on City’s Ward Vacancies webpage at www.toronto.ca/wardvacancies and at the City Clerk’s Office, City Hall, 100 Queen St. W., now in a new location on the first floor – just inside the main entrance. All nominations must be filed in person at the City Clerk’s City Hall office, open Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. All forms and documents submitted are a matter of public record and will be made available to the public, including media.
For those interested in being considered for the appointment, a virtual information session will be held via Webex on Tuesday, August 2, 7 to 8 p.m. Event details will be available on the City’s Ward Vacancies webpage.
The meeting of City Council will take place in the Council Chamber at Toronto City Hall and via video conference. Members of Council and applicants will have the option to attend in-person or remotely. Members of Council will hear from applicants, ask questions and vote to fill the vacancy. A list of applicants will updated daily on the City’s Ward Vacancies website and will be included in the agenda for the meeting, to be published on Monday, August 8 on the City’s website.
The meeting will be livestreamed on the Toronto City Council Live YouTube channel.
A Fact Sheet about the appointment process is available on the City’s Media Room webpage.
More information about the appointment process is available on the City’s Ward Vacancies webpage.
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