Municipal votes of no confidence are symbolic

Votes of no confidence in municipal council members in Ontario cannot remove the member of council. They are symbolic and serve as council’s official expression of opinion.

There’s no mechanism in the municipal act to remove a member of council, whether it be the mayor or councillor

The province can’t remove a council member. A council can’t do it. Residents can’t do a recall petition.

Town of Renfrew’s CAO Robert Tremblay

Council does not have authority to remove another sitting member of Council unless they have been absent for 3 consecutive months.

Municipal council members generally cannot be removed from office unless they are convicted of a corrupt practice, an offense under the Criminal Code or found by a judge to have broken conflict of interest rules.

What is a vote of no confidence?

A no confidence vote (vote on a motion of no confidence) is the exercising of the confidence convention, a constitutional convention of Canada’s parliamentary system that determines whether an officer, typically the Prime Minister (federal) or Premier (provincial) is deemed fit to continue holding office.

If the government loses a vote of confidence, it is expected to resign. The Governor General (federal) or lieutenant governor (provincial) then decides to either:

• give another party or coalition a chance to form government, or
• dissolve Parliament in order for a general election to be held

Municipal governments in Canada operate under council systems, not parliamentary systems so a vote of no confidence does not hold any authority.

Examples

January 28, 2025 – Town of Renfrew council passes non-confidence motion of Mayor Tom Sidney in a 4-3 vote

Councillor McDonald – Vote of Non-Confidence

It was clarified by the CAO that the motion is an expression of an opinion only, and that under the Municipal Act, Council does not have authority to remove another sitting member of Council unless they have been absent for three consecutive months. A vote of non-confidence will not impact the composition of Council.

• Resolution: 24-01-25
• Moved by: Councillor McDonald
• Seconded by: Councillor Legris

Whereas, on Tuesday 19^th of December 2023, council received the interim findings of Ma-te-Way third party review and;

Whereas, based on information learned that Council has a responsibility to be accountable to community and;

Whereas, the Town of Renfrew taxpayers need to be aware of where Council stands regarding the Ma-te-Way project; 

Whereas, Mayor Tom Sidney served as the former Chair of the Parks and Recreation Committee from 2014 to 2022 and currently as Mayor from 2022 till present;

Now Therefore Be It Resolved That Renfrew Town Council express it has lost confidence in Mayor Tom Sidney’s leadership given his responsibilities for the Ma-Way Expansion Project and its major and substantive issues, as Chair of the former Parks and Recreation Committee when serving as Councillor from 2014-2022 and Mayor since 2022.

YEA (4) Councillor Legris, Councillor McWhirter, Councillor McDonald, and Councillor Dick
NAY (3) Reeve Emon, Mayor Sidney, and Councillor Cybulski
Carried (4 to 3)

Council meeting minutes

April 8, 2025 – Prince Edward County Councillor Corey Englesdorfer announces his intent to trigger a vote of no confidence in Mayor Steve Ferguson

Councillor Englesdorfer cited ongoing issues with the Wellington water project, and its impact on his local constituents.

Residents are having to use detour routes that are in the range of 15 to 18 kilometers long

Our local businesses are really suffering because people are just kind of diverting around Wellington and not shopping here at all.

It’s reaching a boiling point in town, there’s a lot of frustration

Residents aren’t happy, and they just feel like council is not doing anything right now to hear their concerns or try to remedy them.

Councillor Corey Englesdorfer