The Municipal Act of the Canadian province of Ontario[1] is the main statute governing the creation, administration and government of municipalities in Ontario, other than the City of Toronto.
After being passed in 2001, it came into force on 1 January 2003, replacing the previous Municipal Act, 1990.
Previous versions of the Municipal Act date back to the 19th century.
There are complex rules as to which municipalities have authority to act on any given subject, which are summarized as follows in Section 11: 11.
(2) A lower-tier municipality and an upper-tier municipality may pass by-laws, subject to the rules set out in subsection (4), respecting the following matters: (3) A lower-tier municipality and an upper-tier municipality may pass by-laws, subject to the rules set out in subsection (4), respecting matters within the following spheres of jurisdiction: (4) The following are the rules referred to in subsections (1), (2) and (3):