Ontario expanding 'strong mayor' powers to cities across province
CBC
The Ford government is expanding strong mayor powers to more cities in Ontario, a move that previously fuelled controversy when legislation was passed to boost mayoral powers in Toronto and Ottawa late last year.
At an announcement Friday, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Steve Clark said the province is giving what's been dubbed "strong mayor" powers to 26 other municipalities including Oakville, Milton, Hamilton and Niagara Falls.
Clark said the move is intended to help regions get shovels in the ground faster to help deliver on the province's goal to build 1.5 million homes by 2031.
"The 26 municipalities that are set to receive these powers are among the largest and fastest growing in our province," Clark said.
"Our government is determined that these municipalities are set up for success and that they have the necessary tools to deliver on the housing commitments they have made."
The announcement came after a meeting with Ontario's Big City Mayors (OBCM), a group consisting of 29 mayors leading cities with populations of 100,000 or more.
In December, Toronto and Ottawa were both given strong mayor powers as part of Bill 39, also known as the Better Municipal Governance Act. Former Toronto Mayor John Tory expressed support for the new powers at the time, while Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe said he was not interested in using them.
The powers include the ability to enact certain bylaws even if a minority of city councillors are in favour and to appoint high-level staff members within the city bureaucracy.
At the time of the original announcement, fifteen Toronto city councillors asked the province to halt the bill's legislation, citing concerns they weren't consulted,and adding that council and residents should decide any changes to the governance of the city.
Premier Doug Ford previously said Toronto and Ottawa would act as a "test area" before the powers were expanded to other municipalities.
The list of regions given new mayor powers includes:
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