Ontario wants greater grip on regional governance, says it needs to cut red tape to battle housing crisis
CBC
The Ford government is proposing new legislation that would give it a tighter grip on regional governance, and allow the mayors of Toronto and Ottawa to pass bylaws that support its priorities with the support of just one-third of council.
Ontario's Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Steve Clark introduced the legislation, dubbed the Better Municipal Governance Act, at Queen's Park on Wednesday afternoon. The province says the move is part of an effort to cut red tape on "shared provincial-municipal priorities."
The construction of 1.5 million new homes over the next 10 years is one such priority. But pressed by reporters, Clark confirmed the one-third vote share to pass strong mayors' motions is not limited to issues around housing only.
"These bold actions are necessary if our government is to keep its commitment to Ontarians and remove the obstacles standing in the way of much-needed housing," Clark said in a news release.
The legislation would allow the housing minister to appoint regional heads of council in Niagara, Peel and York Regions for the 2022-2026 council term.
It would also further the "strong mayor" powers given to the mayors of Toronto and Ottawa ahead of the recent municipal elections, before which a mayor's vote was worth no more than a city councillor's.
Currently Toronto Mayor John Tory or newly-elected Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe need to win the support of more than half of their city council to pass motions.
If the bill is passed, Tory and Sutcliffe will only need one in three councillors to vote with them.
Provincially-appointed facilitators would also assess regional governments in Durham, Halton, Niagara, Peel, Waterloo and York to ensure they're ready to "deliver on the government's commitment to tackle the housing supply crisis."
Asked if the province ultimately plans to do away with regional levels of government in those six areas, Clark responded: "I'm not going to presuppose the discussions that take place by the facilitator," adding his goal now is to put forward legislation that expands strong mayor powers.
Premier Doug Ford has said Ontario will expand strong mayor powers to other large municipalities in about a year's time.
Critics of the strong mayor powers say the move will undermine local democracy and the role of city councils.
Jessica Bell, the NDP's housing critic, said the move is about "bulldozing local decision making," calling it an "affront to democracy" coming only a few months after voters elected their local representatives.
Bell said the Opposition is also concerned that the proposed legislation repeals the Dufferin-Peel Agricultural Preserve Act, and that key owners of Greenbelt land who donate to the Ford's Progressive Conservatives stand to benefit from the act's repeal.
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