Fresh off the Rural Ontario Municipal Association (ROMA) conference, Tecumseh's deputy mayor is bringing back with him a recommendation for council.
Joe Bachetti says during his time at the ROMA conference, he and his fellow councillors heard recommendations that municipalities provide regular code of conduct training ahead of elections.
The provincial government introduced a bill last year meant to create a standardized provincial code of conduct.
Bill 9, which is still moving through the legislative process and expected to take effect before the 2026 municipal election, will introduce mandatory training, and give councils stronger powers to remove members for serious misconduct.
Bachetti will present a motion Tuesday night calling upon the town clerk to organize refresher conduct training for council members prior to the municipal election nomination period opening on May 1, 2026.
"[Bill 9] recommends doing ongoing training throughout the term of council. I know at the County of Essex we've undergone a lot of training there for professional development. So it's one the things that, you know, best practice, I'd like to bring back to our municipality in Tecumseh," Bachetti said.
He said he believed council would be receptive to his motion.
"Who would say no to training. I think it's one of those things where as elected officials we always want to do better, and again, in terms of professionalism it's a good thing to be able to have and our clerk and our council I believe will embrace this," he said.
Bachetti said Bill 9 establishes the role of the Integrity Commissioner of Ontario with more consistency for all.
He added that everyone could benefit from more conduct training.
"I encourage all other municipalities to do because there's a lot of implications with the new code of conduct, so that allows elected officials to get the jump and be well trained and do the best that they can in their role," he said.
The next municipal election will happen Oct. 26, 2026.
Tecumseh council meets Tuesday at 7 p.m.