Statutory Notices

Notices issued by the Clerk’s Department are available below. Planning related notices are posted on the Public Meeting page under the ‘Planning’ section of the County’s website.

Notice of Statutory Public Meeting Concerning Simcoe County Council Composition and Head of Council

A full version of this notice can be found here: Public Notice – Council Composition

TAKE NOTICE that the Council of the County of Simcoe intends to enact a By-law to change the composition of County Council. An in-person Public Meeting will be held to consider these changes to Council composition, specifically the number of Members that comprise County Council and the appointment of the Head of Council. This Notice and Public Meeting comply with the requirements of Section 219 (1) of the Municipal Act, 2001, S.O. 2001, c. 25.

THE PURPOSE of the Public Meeting is to seek input from residents on a potential new composition for County Council. On January 14, 2025, a resolution was passed by County Council which directed staff to issue notice of Council’s intention to pass a By-law to change composition of County Council and hold a Public Meeting to consider this draft By-law. Currently, Council is comprised of 32 Members including the Mayors and Deputy Mayors of each of the County’s lower-tier municipalities. The By-law proposes that County Council be reduced from the existing size to a 17 Member Council that would include only the Mayors of the 16 lower-tier municipalities and a Head of Council. The Head of Council is currently appointed from among Members of Council and therefore serves both on County Council and a lower-tier Council. The By-law proposes to establish a Head of Council that serves exclusively on County Council for a four-year term. The position would be appointed by County Council from among eligible electors who put their name forward. The By-law includes required updates to the existing weighted vote system.

THE PUBLIC MEETING will be held on March 11, 2025 at 10:00 a.m. in the Council Chamber at the Simcoe County Administration Centre located at 1110 Highway 26, Midhurst, Ontario L9X 1N6. The agenda for the Public Meeting will be posted on the County’s website (https://simcoe.civicweb.net/Portal/) a minimum of 5 days prior to the meeting and will include a draft copy of the proposed By-law. As this meeting is for the purposes of receiving feedback from the public on the draft By-law, no decisions will be made by Council at the meeting.

FOLLOWING THE PUBLIC MEETING a final version of the By-law will be brought forward for consideration by Council at a subsequent meeting. Should the final By-law be passed by Council, it will be circulated to the 16 lower-tier Councils for further consideration as part of the “Triple Majority” process in accordance with Section 219 (2) of the Municipal Act, 2001, S.O. 2001, c. 25. If the By-law achieves the required consent, changes to County Council would take effect for the next term of Council, beginning in November 2026 following the Municipal Election.

ANY PERSON MAY PARTICIPATE in this process and provide feedback on the By-law by either registering to speak in-person at the Public Meeting or by providing written comments. To register to speak or provide written comments, please email Clerks@Simcoe.ca. Requests to speak and written comments must be received no later than 12:00 noon on March 10, 2025, the day prior to the Public Meeting. Those who register to speak will have 5 minutes for comments during the meeting. Individuals that do not register in advance will not have an opportunity to speak. Please note that the name of individuals registered to speak and a copy of written comments will form part of the public record and be included on the agenda for the Public Meeting.

DATED at Midhurst this 4th day of February, 2025.

Jonathan Magill, County Clerk
County of Simcoe Administration Centre
1110 Highway 26, Midhurst, Ontario L9X 1N6
Phone (705) 726-9300 Ext. 1246
Clerks@Simcoe.ca