Grey Highlands council has passed a resolution to examine the possibility of a municipal referendum being held during the 2026 municipal election.
At its meeting on Feb. 26, council unanimously passed a resolution from Deputy Mayor Dane Nielsen requesting a report from staff on options for a municipal referendum during the 2026 local election.
The meeting did not feature any discussion on possible referendum topics or questions. Nielsen’s resolution was strictly to seek information on the referendum process and how it works.
Nielsen said he wanted to “be fair to staff” and make the referendum request well ahead of 2026 to avoid any last minute discussions. He said his resolution was to find out how the process works and how to add a referendum question to the municipal ballot.
According to the Ontario guide for the 2022 municipal election, municipalities can put a question on the municipal election ballot with the following conditions:
- It must be about a matter that the municipality has authority for, and that the municipality can implement
- It can’t be a matter of provincial interest
- The wording of the question must be clear, concise and neutral
- The possible answers to the question must be “yes” and “no”
- Multiple choice or multi-part questions are not permitted
For the 2022 election, a municipality wishing to put a question on the ballot had to pass a bylaw to do so by March 1, 2022. The wording of the bylaw can be appealed to the Chief Electoral Officer of Elections Ontario within 20 days of being passed.
If more than 50 per cent of eligible voters vote in the election, the results of the referendum are binding. If less than 50 per cent vote the results would not be binding.