PCs won’t push through new bill to cut council if granted stay: lawyers

TORONTO — The Ontario government will not push through a controversial bill to slash Toronto city council if the province’s highest court stays a ruling that quashed an earlier version of the legislation, lawyers argued Tuesday.

In a hearing before the Court of Appeal for Ontario, government lawyer Robin Basu said legislators would hold off voting on the new bill if a panel of three judges decides to stay the lower court ruling, which reinstated the city’s 47 wards, until after the October election.

“There is only one path available to assure the (Toronto city) clerk that she is in a position to proceed with an election with integrity and fairness on Oct. 22,” Basu told the court.

“It is simply not feasible to prepare for two elections at the same time.”

Lawyers representing the City of Toronto, some municipal candidates and other parties argued the province is responsible for the chaos surrounding the election and therefore cannot seek legal relief for the problems it has caused.

They also said the government’s proposal to stall the new bill if the court rules in its favour is almost akin to a threat.

“It’s not your job to save them from themselves, to take the political heat off,” lawyer Donald Eady, who represents a group that includes candidates, told the panel of three judges.

Last week Justice Edward Belobaba ruled that Bill 5, which slashed Toronto’s council to 25 seats from 47 in the middle of an election campaign, violated freedom of expression rights for candidates and voters.

Premier Doug Ford has since reintroduced the bill, now known as Bill 31, and invoked the “notwithstanding” clause to forge ahead with the council-cutting plan.

The move has been condemned by the opposition parties, prominent politicians and legal professionals.

It has also sparked multiple protests, including a rally outside the legislature this week while politicians held a rare overnight debate on the bill.

The new bill won’t be up for a final vote until Thursday at the earliest.

City staff have said the chances of running a fair election on Oct. 22 shrink with every day of uncertainty that goes by.

The appeal court is expected to reveal its decision on the stay application on Wednesday morning.

If the province is successful in securing a stay, city staff would then immediately start planning for an election based on the 25ward model rather than the 47ward approach that went back into effect with Belobaba’s decision.

Granting the stay would eliminate any uncertainty, and the province’s appeal of Belobaba’s decision could be heard on an expedited timeline after the election and resolved before a new Toronto council is sworn in on Dec. 1, the province’s lawyers said.

Howard Goldblatt, who represents a group that includes a candidate in the election, argued that if the province wants to restore stability, it can simply stop fighting Belobaba’s ruling and allow the election to proceed with 47 wards.

“They can resolve the uncertainty,” he said.

Lawyers for those opposing the stay argued the province has not presented any evidence to support its claims that allowing the judgment to stand would cause irreparable harm.

The city’s clerk has said she could carry out an election with 47 wards, and the preparation process for that is “much further along” than for a 25-ward election, said Diana Dimmer, who represents the city.