Minutes of Guelph City Council

-
Remote meeting live streamed
on guelph.ca/live
Council:
  • Mayor C. Guthrie
  • Councillor P. Allt
  • Councillor B. Bell
  • Councillor C. Billings
  • Councillor L. Caron
  • Councillor C. Downer
  • Councillor D. Gibson
  • Councillor R. Goller
  • Councillor J. Gordon
  • Councillor J. Hofland
  • Councillor M. MacKinnon
  • Councillor D. O'Rourke
  • Councillor M. Salisbury
Staff:
  • S. Stewart, Chief Administrative Officer
  • C. Clack-Bush, Deputy Chief Administrative Officer, Public Services
  • K. Dedman, Deputy Chief Administrative Officer, Infrastructure, Development and Enterprise Services
  • T. Lee, Deputy Chief Administrative Officer, Corporate Services
  • S. O'Brien, General Manager, City Clerk's Office/City Clerk
  • J. Slater, Manager, Information, Privacy and Elections/Deputy City Clerk
  • L. Cline, Council and Committee Coordinator
  • T. Di Lullo, Council and Committee Coordinator
  • G. Meades, Council and Committee Coordinator

1.
Call to Order
 

Mayor Guthrie called the meeting to order (6:00 p.m.).

2.
Voting Systems and Alternative Voting Methods for the 2022 Municipal Election, 2021-30
This item has attachments. 

1.Voting systems and alternative voting methods for the 2022 Municipal Election - 2021-30.pdf
2.Attachment 1_Alternative Voting Methods By-law.pdf
3.Attachment 2_OraclePoll telephone survey report.pdf
4.Attachment 3_EngagementHQ online survey report.pdf
5.Attachment 4_Engagement results summary_x1a aoda.pdf
6.Attachment 5_How each voting method works.pdf
7.Attachment 6_Benefits and drawbacks of voting methods.pdf
8.Attachment 7_Cost of each voting method.pdf
9.Attachment 8_Questions and answers.pdf
10.Attachment 9 _Voting systems and methods presentation.pdf
11.General Correspondence - Revised Agenda - Voting Systems and Alternative Voting Methods for 2022 Municipal Election.pdf

Stephen O'Brien, General Manager, City Clerk's Office/City Clerk, presented an overview of the voting system and alternative voting method options for the 2022 municipal election. He outlined the decision making criteria that were considered before making a recommendation. He highlighted the various remote voting options and indicated that vote by mail is the recommended alternative voting method for the City of Guelph as it fully upholds all principles of the Municipal Elections Act. He also provided a summary on engagement findings on remote voting methods and outlined various administrative considerations and election trends regarding the use of vote by mail.

The following delegates spoke via telephone:
Brad Howcroft
Aleksander Essex
David Josephy
Nicole Goodman
Cameron Shelley
Pia Muchaal
Tanya Gevaert
Morgan Dandie-Hannah
Anne Gajerski-Cauley

  • Moved ByCouncillor Allt
    Seconded ByCouncillor Billings
    1. That a by-law be adopted to support the use of vote tabulators in the 2022 municipal and school board election.
    2. That a by-law be adopted to support the use of vote by mail as an alternative voting method in the 2022 municipal and school board election.
    Voting in Favour: (13)Mayor Guthrie, Councillor Allt, Councillor Bell, Councillor Billings, Councillor Caron, Councillor Downer, Councillor Gibson, Councillor Goller, Councillor Gordon, Councillor Hofland, Councillor MacKinnon, Councillor O'Rourke, and Councillor Salisbury
    Carried (13 to 0)
  • Moved ByCouncillor Downer
    Seconded ByCouncillor MacKinnon

    That City Council supports the potential implementation of a pilot for the delivery of a home visit program during the 2022 municipal and school board election.

    Voting in Favour: (13)Mayor Guthrie, Councillor Allt, Councillor Bell, Councillor Billings, Councillor Caron, Councillor Downer, Councillor Gibson, Councillor Goller, Councillor Gordon, Councillor Hofland, Councillor MacKinnon, Councillor O'Rourke, and Councillor Salisbury
    Carried (13 to 0)
  • Moved ByCouncillor Gibson
    Seconded ByCouncillor O'Rourke

    That Council direct the Mayor to work alongside the City Clerk to write a letter to the Provincial Government to advocate for province-wide, certification standards of online voting systems/platforms that can be adopted for future elections where online voting methods are implemented and that the letter be forwarded to Guelph’s MPP, the MPP for Wellington-Halton Hills, the Association of Municipalities of Ontario and the Ontario Big City Mayors.

    Voting in Favour: (8)Mayor Guthrie, Councillor Billings, Councillor Downer, Councillor Gibson, Councillor Goller, Councillor MacKinnon, Councillor O'Rourke, and Councillor Salisbury
    Voting Against: (5)Councillor Allt, Councillor Bell, Councillor Caron, Councillor Gordon, and Councillor Hofland
    Carried (8 to 5)

3.
By-laws
 

  • Moved ByCouncillor MacKinnon
    Seconded ByCouncillor Gordon

    That By-law numbered (2021)-20572 is hereby passed.

    Voting in Favour: (13)Councillor Billings, Councillor Caron, Mayor Guthrie, Councillor Gibson, Councillor Bell, Councillor Gordon, Councillor Goller, Councillor Allt, Councillor Hofland, Councillor Salisbury, Councillor Downer, Councillor MacKinnon, and Councillor O'Rourke
    Carried (13 to 0)

4.
Adjournment
 

  • Moved ByCouncillor Billings
    Seconded ByCouncillor Caron

    That the meeting be adjourned (8:13 p.m.).

    Voting in Favour: (13)Mayor Guthrie, Councillor Allt, Councillor Bell, Councillor Billings, Councillor Caron, Councillor Downer, Councillor Gibson, Councillor Gordon, Councillor Hofland, Councillor MacKinnon, Councillor O'Rourke, Councillor Goller, and Councillor Salisbury
    Carried (13 to 0)
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