Item - 2019.GV1.3

The Special Committee on Governance deferred consideration of the item indefinitely.

City Council on January 30 and 31, 2019, referred Motion MM2.12 to the Special Committee on Governance.

As City Councillors, we have a duty to ensure the health of many aspects of our City including its finances, infrastructure, and environment. Among these responsibilities none is more important than ensuring the health of our local democracy.

City Hall should represent the diverse population of Toronto and candidates of all backgrounds should have an equal chance to serve their communities. This vision can be made a reality by reforming our governance system. This is why I am asking City Council to support my Motion to include term limits as part of the work being done by the Special Committee on Governance.

Our City is emblazoned by the motto “diversity is our strength”. We should strengthen Toronto by embedding diversity in our political system. Among the many barriers to having a more diverse City Council, the largest is the statistical advantage sitting Members of Council benefit from in elections.

With the changes forced on City Council in the summer, now is an ideal opportunity to consider strengthening our governance system with term limits. The work of reviewing the way we govern is already underway through the Special Committee on Governance. We should use circumstances that threatened to weaken this City as a chance to strengthen it.

This Motion is not a call for Council to vote on the exact details of term limits today. This debate is not meant to question the commitment and record of our Members of Council, all of whom have served their communities with as much dedication and purpose as they can bring. This Motion is an invitation to ask "is there a way we can serve better?" In order to answer this question Council must engage in a thorough debate on better governance.