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County council approves governance changes, county chair replaces warden
August 21, 2026 · 0 Comments
By Brian Lockhart
The County of Simcoe has approved a series of governance and procedural changes to support the transition to a new council structure, beginning with the 2026 to 2030 term of council.
This will align with changes made by the provincial Better Regional Government Act, 2026.
As a result, county council will be reduced from 32 members to 17, including the warden.
Among the key changes approved is the renaming of the head of county council position.
The position of warden, which has been in place since 1843, will be changed to county chair as of Nov. 15. 2026.
This title aligns with other regional governments in Ontario that were also included in changes made by the province.
The province intends to appoint the county’s head of council for the upcoming term through a provincial recruitment process. Until now, members of councils elected the Warden.
As part of this governance transition, council has approved other changes, including eliminating the deputy warden position, changing certain council committees, and adjusting committee-of-the-whole representation from the Cities of Barrie and Orillia to align with the new council composition and existing shared service agreements.
An updated procedure by-law is expected to be brought to council in September to formally incorporate the approved governance changes as part of the transition.
The change in governance and procedures has not been without controversy.
When the province first suggested that changes would include an appointed warden rather than an elected one, several councillors voiced concerns that the province could drop in a new warden from outside the region.
They argued that someone from outside the region would not understand or have the experience to govern based on what the county needs and what local residents want.
The province has not yet announced any appointments for the position of county chair.
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