Councillors stage protest during Simcoe County composition vote

A block of 17 rural councillors have walked out in protest of the recorded vote and county council composition.

A vote that would’ve seen Simcoe County councillors decide the next step on reducing its size, never came to be, after more than half of council walked out in protest.

On Tuesday, county councillors were expected to either pass or vote down a bylaw to reduce council from 32 members to 16, plus one full-time warden.

Discussion quickly centred around a portion of the bylaw that included the existing weighted-vote system.

The system is based on the electoral size of each member municipality when a recorded vote is requested, allocating more votes to larger towns based on their population.

“16 people are much easier to meet with, to sway, than trying to do it with 32 people,” said Judith Cox, Severn Township Deputy Mayor. “You have the power in an urban area and not in a rural area. I’m pretty sure that frightens a lot of people on what would happen in the future.”

After a lengthy discussion, Cox’s counterpart, Severn Township Mayor Mike Burkett, put forward an amendment to the bylaw, requesting county staff write a new bylaw that repeals the current weighted vote system.

17 councillors were in favour of the amendment and 15 were opposed. However, the vote on the weighted vote was defeated via a weighted vote, with the count amounting to 65 in favour and 80 against.

Council opted to take a 15-minute break before proceeding with the rest of council’s agenda. 17 councillors opted not to return.

“It’s a very frustrating situation and it’s the first time that I’ve every participated in some type of civil demonstration like this,” said Clearview Township Mayor Doug Measures. “I’m deeply regretting that it happened but it was a necessary thing to get the clear message to other members of our house that this is not procedural fairness.”

Measures was joined by his deputy mayor, Paul Van Staveren, along with Burkett and Cox. The rest of the cohort was made up by the Mayors and Deputy Mayors from Oro-Medonte, Penetangushine, Wasaga Beach and Essa Township, Adjala-Tosorontio Mayor Scott Anderson, Tiny Deputy Mayor Sean Miskimins, Midland Deputy Mayor Beth Prost, and alternate councillors David Snutch from Ramara and Steffen Walma from Tiny.

Measures said the protest came after the reversal of two county composition decisions, both with the use of a recorded vote.

“the procedural fairness question has not been properly addressed,” he added. “If we’re making all these changes to the size of the composition, the full-time warden, then I think the procedural fairness, which is the removal of the weighted vote, should be included.”

Council was officially adjourned after a 15-minute grace period did not see any of the councillors return.

“Nothing that was ratified at committee of the whole was carried and there’s $150 million that had to be approved before April 2 that did not get approved,” said Simcoe County Warden Basil Clarke.

That funding was for licensed child care and early years system funding, approved on March 11.

“If they’re out there materially handling business, which clearly appears to be the case, I guess the ombudsman is going to have to be notified of the breach that we’re clearly allowing to happen right now,” said Midland Mayor Bill Gordon. “The members that are in the house right now that are ready to do business have no part of this ethical breach that is being perpetrated by this house.”

County staff clarified to CTV News that a loss of quorum was not in violation of the Municipal Act, but a complaint could be made to the Ontario Ombudsman to investigate what was discussed behind closed doors.

While his counterpart from Ramara joined in the walkout, Basil Clarke did not.

Clarke also voted against Burkett’s amendment.

“The system we have in place right now, again, is based on number of voters, that’s democracy, that’s the fairest system we can have in place,” Clarke told CTV News. “The comment was made on the floor, if you want to do away with the weighted vote and we’re all equal, then every municipality should put the same amount of money in and I don’t think the taxpayers would want that, because the smaller municipalities certainly couldn’t put as much into a budget.”

Clarke said that he was disappointed in the councillors who opted to walk out, but added that they were “good people,” who care for their community.

“They will be at the next meeting, I fully believe it and they will be here to deal with the issue when it comes back to the floor.”

A special meeting has been called for Wednesday for councillors to specifically deal with the matters that were to be ratified, including the childcare funding.

The composition bylaw is expected to return to council at its next meeting on April 8.