The Town of Fort Frances is about a month away from incumbent councillors and new candidates filing for nomination.
At Monday’s Committee of the Whole meeting, council members approved a report from the municipal clerk, Gabrielle Lecuyer. This approval will rescind corporate resources for a bylaw to be prepared to adopt the new proposed use of corporate resources for election purposes policy.
In a report to the council, Lecuyer wrote that the modernisation of the current Municipal Elections Act (MEA) policy is a positive step by the municipality that achieves good outcomes. This revised policy also enhances section 12 of the Council Code of Conduct regarding election campaign work.
Lecuyer wrote in the report that the election should be fair and non-biased, the integrity of the process should be maintained throughout the election, and that candidates and Registered Third Party Advertisers should be treated fairly and consistently within a municipality.
The new policy that Lecuyer will draft prohibits the municipality from contributing to a candidate or a registered Third Party in a municipal election during an election campaign.
“Any use of the Town of Fort Frances resources by or on behalf of a candidate or registered Third Party during an election campaign period would be considered a contribution by the town,” she wrote in the report. “The Election Finances Act and the Canada Elections Act impose similar prohibitions for provincial and federal election campaigns.”
Some of the proposed changes include applying the policy to all candidates and Registered Third Party Advertisers, acclaimed members, or a member not seeking re-election, council members and staff.
The new policy also provides further detail concerning the requirements to ensure compliance with the MEA, Lecuyer wrote in the report.
“The policy addresses the use of IT resources such as cell phones, tablets and computers,” she wrote. “The policy also provides new requirements for social media use and that candidates may not use any municipal logo on any election campaign material.”
