Ontario passes law boosting 'strong mayor' powers in Toronto, Ottawa
CBC
Ontario has passed legislation that allows Toronto and Ottawa to enact certain bylaws even if a minority of councillors are in favour, capping off a whirlwind of widely criticized housing-related moves.
The latest bill allows the province to appoint the regional chairs in Niagara, Peel and York, and boosts so-called strong mayor powers that the government gave to Toronto and Ottawa earlier this year.
The first set of powers allowed the leaders to veto council decisions deemed to hamper the creation of new homes, prepare and table the city's budget, as well as hiring and firing department heads. The new powers allow them to propose housing-related bylaws and pass them with the support of one-third of councillors.
The legislation follows another housing law that angered municipalities because it cuts fees developers pay that they use to build infrastructure for new homes and upset environmentalists who say it weakens the role of conservation authorities.
As well, the government has proposed to remove land from 15 different areas of the protected Greenbelt so that 50,000 homes can be built, while adding acres elsewhere.
While Toronto Mayor John Tory has said he will use the powers in a limited and responsible way, Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe has said he is not interested in using them.
Tory said Tuesday he's still determined to reach council consensus on issues, and while "continue to work collaboratively with the Council to get things done."
Fifteen councillors asked the province to halt the bill's legislation, citing concerns they weren't consulted, saying any changes to the governance of the city should be decided by council and residents.
Premier Doug Ford has said Toronto and Ottawa are acting as a "test area" before the powers are expanded to other cities next year.
Interim Ontario NDP Leader Peter Tabuns called the recently passed legislation an "attack on democracy" that will do nothing to solve Ontario's housing crisis.
"Ontarians value democracy, and people are rightly concerned about Doug Ford's latest ploy to wrest power from local, democratically elected decision-makers, as he is giving himself permission to do with the just-passed Bill 39. "If this government actually wanted to solve the housing crisis, it would commit to building more affordable homes for Ontarians, bringing in stronger rent control measures, building missing middle homes in existing neighbourhoods and clamping down on speculation."
Prominent northern leaders have been touting the Arctic economic and security corridor as a "nation-building" project that will bring economic benefits to the two territories it straddles, but others are split on how much good will come out of it.
When the federal government tabled its 2025 budget last month, it included a proposal that tax fraud experts say is long overdue — if also a belated acknowledgement that the Canada Revenue Agency has been repeatedly duped into paying out untold millions in bogus tax refunds to scammers.
Talking with an AI chatbot can successfully convince people to change their votes and could affect the outcome of future elections, according to a new study.
While some are writing wishlists for Santa Claus, a group of Newfoundland and Labrador youth are writing their wishlist for the provincial government.
A horse owner near Stewiacke, N.S., says the current shortage of hay in the province is putting pressure on her financially.
Victoria Volkanova was remembering Jewish resilience and courage by celebrating Hanukkah on Sunday.
Winnipeggers are still digging out from this past week’s winter wallop, but the wait for roadside assistance is almost over, according to the provincial motoring association.
When long-time journalist Cornelia Naylor picked up the first copy of her newly printed community newspaper this week, it wasn’t something she had ever expected to do.
The province's police watchdog is investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of a woman in Toronto Sunday.
Toronto police say a collision involving several vehicles in the city's east-end left one driver in life-threatening condition Sunday.
A church service in Stratford, P.E.I., brought together Christmas traditions from across the globe on Sunday.
On an extremely cold day, many people would prefer to stay home, cozy up under a blanket, and put on the TV, radio, or a favourite podcast.
In an era of Ring doorbells and No Soliciting signs, breaking the evening silence of a suburban London street can sometimes feel like a radical act.