WHEREAS elected officials are required to attend Council, committee, and other official meetings that frequently occur during evenings, weekends, or outside standard child care and caregiving hours; and
WHEREAS the lack of affordable, flexible childcare and caregiving options is a documented barrier to participation in municipal governance, disproportionately impacting women, single parents, individuals with caregiving responsibilities for children or elder family members, and others with dependent care obligations, including persons with disabilities; and
WHEREAS in Ontario, there is no standardized legislative framework supporting caregiving leave for municipal elected officials, and no province-wide mechanism to recognize caregiving-related interruptions as a protected status in elected office, resulting in a gap in supports for those balancing public service with caregiving responsibilities; and
WHEREAS the removal of systemic barriers to seeking and holding elected office is essential to ensuring municipal councils are representative of the communities they serve; and
WHEREAS a growing number of Canadian municipalities have adopted reimbursement-based policies (not allowances) for childcare and caregiving expenses incurred by elected officials in the course of their official duties, including the City of Sarnia, Ontario, and municipalities in Alberta such as Banff and Okotoks; and
WHEREAS such policies are structured as cost-recovery mechanisms that reimburse actual, reasonable expenses directly related to the performance of official municipal responsibilities and are distinct from remuneration or personal benefits.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT:
- Council directs staff to prepare and bring forward amendments to the elected officials’ expense reimbursement policy to explicitly include reimbursement for reasonable and necessary childcare and/or caregiving expenses (including elder care) incurred while performing official duties at Council, committee, and other approved municipal business; and
- Council further directs staff to report back with a proposed policy framework that includes:
- A jurisdictional scan of comparable Canadian municipal policies, including the City of Sarnia and municipalities in Alberta such as Banff and Okotoks; and
- A review of legislative authority and legal considerations under the Municipal Act, 2001 and applicable expense by-laws;
- Clearly defined eligibility criteria, documentation requirements, cost controls, and transparency and accountability measures; and
- A detailed analysis of the financial implications.
- Council directs that, upon approval, the finalized policy be formally shared with Area Municipalities, the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO), and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) as a best practice to support inclusive and representative local governance.