The Town of Whitby is moving to change how it handles council business after a series of controversial motions, ranging from the British line of succession to the federal temporary foreign worker program, cost local taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars in legal and administrative fees.
In a statement released Monday, Ward 2 Councillor Victoria Bozinovski announced that council has unanimously supported her motion to "review and strengthen" Section 15.5 of the town's Procedure By-law. The goal, she says, is to ensure that the business discussed at Town Hall actually falls within the jurisdiction of a municipal government.
“This motion is about focus, accountability, and respecting the role of municipal government,” Bozinovski said. “When motions are not properly vetted, taxpayers pay the price.”
According to town figures, Whitby has spent approximately $23,000 over the past year on motions that were ultimately ruled "out of order" by the chair.
The expenditures include staff time and external legal opinions required to determine if the proposed motions were lawful or within the town's mandate. Bozinovski argues that money could have been better spent on local priorities.
“At the local level, that $23,000 has real impact,” she said. “It could make the walking track at the new Fieldgate Centre free for seniors, fund a new crossing guard, or support traffic calming in our neighbourhoods.”
While Bozinovski's statement did not name specific colleagues, the review comes after several high-profile clashes in the council chamber involving Regional Councillor Chris Leahy.
Earlier this year, Leahy introduced a motion calling on the federal government to remove Prince Andrew from the line of succession to the British throne—a matter that has no bearing on the administration of a town in Durham Region.
More recently, Leahy proposed a motion to prohibit the town from awarding contracts to companies that use the federal Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) program. That motion was ruled out of order after a legal opinion—costing between $6,000 and $10,000—concluded it would likely violate the Ontario Human Rights Code by discriminating against workers who are legally allowed to work in Canada.
Bozinovski has previously been vocal about these efforts, describing the TFW motion as "garbage" and "xenophobic" during a heated meeting in March.
The current Procedure By-law already contains provisions to filter out motions outside the town's jurisdiction, but proponents of the change say the language needs to be tightened to prevent political grandstanding from reaching the floor.
“This motion is not about limiting debate,” Bozinovski's statement reads. “It's about ensuring what comes before Council is lawful, actionable, and within our mandate.”
The town's clerk and legal staff are now expected to report back with recommendations on how to strengthen the vetting process for new motions before they are added to the public agenda.
