The PC government has concluded the required six-and-a-half hours of second-reading debate of Bill 31, the Efficient Local Government Act. The noisy process began at 12.01 Monday. The timing of the debate was dictated by the time pressure on the government in advance of the Toronto general election set for October 22. The bill will cut council from 47 members to 25 after the Oct. 22 election. It is the reintroduction of Bill 5, the Better Local Government Act, struck down as unconstitutional a week ago by Ontario Superior Court Justice Edward Belobaba. The Ford government will soon introduce a time-allocation motion and the bill could then pass second and third reading as well as receive royal assent by Thursday. The deadline for registering as a municipal candidate would be two days later.
