The following statement was given today in the House of Assembly by the Honourable Graham Letto, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Environment:

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to provide this Honourable House with an update on the ongoing review of our province’s municipal legislation.

I’m pleased to say that we have concluded the second phase of consultations to modernize the Municipalities Act, 1999, the City of St. John’s Act, the City of Mount Pearl Act, and the City of Corner Brook Act.

The feedback received during the extensive consultations process has been compiled and can be found online at EngageNL.ca. Through public engagement efforts, well over 2,000 suggestions for improvements have been captured.

At the Premier’s Forum on Local Government in October, the Premier was joined by delegates representing municipalities across the province, as well as a number of members from this Honourable House, to discuss municipal legislation and contribute to the review.

Mr. Speaker, to date we have heard requests for: code of conduct legislation for elected officials and staff; improved conflict of interest provisions; training for officials and administrators; as well as more clarity on the role of local governments.

The department is currently analyzing the feedback from the review and developing recommendations for modernization of the legislation.

I would like to thank every resident, municipal leader and administrator, stakeholder organization, and community representative who took the time to participate in this important consultation process. In particular, Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador and the Professional Municipal Administrators have put significant efforts into working with the department on the review.

Mr. Speaker, the review of municipal legislation will result in a stronger, more flexible legislative framework that will meet the needs of today’s cities and local governments and positively impact the daily lives of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.

Thank you.