Ontario expanding 'strong mayor' powers to cities across province
Oakville, Hamilton, London and Kitchener among 26 municipalities given new powers
The provincial 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, London, Windsor, Hamilton and Niagara Falls. The heads of those cities are set to get the new powers as of July 1.
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."
WATCH | Clark says goal to build homes a 'priority' for government:
However, projections in Ontario's spring budget for housing starts showed the target of 1.5 million homes slipping further out of reach with each passing year.
Nearly 100,000 homes were built in the province in 2022, but the forecast shows the number of housing starts in the next few years struggling to crack 80,000 annually, projections that were even lower than in last year's budget.
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.
Three municipalities of the 29 OBCM members did not make it onto the list including Newmarket, Chatham-Kent and Thunder Bay.
"It's pretty simple, we extended strong mayor powers to every community that enacted a housing pledge," Clark said when asked why those three cities were not included.
"But we're certainly giving them and other municipalities the opportunity."
Toronto, Ottawa first to receive powers
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 allowing mayors to propose housing-related bylaws and pass them with the support of one-third of councillors, as well as override council approval of bylaws, such as a zoning bylaw, that would stymie the creation of more homes.
Strong mayors also have responsibility for preparing and tabling their city's budget, instead of council, and hiring and firing department heads.
At the time of the original announcement, 15 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.
Clark wouldn't say if all 26 mayors actually want to use the strong mayor powers. With the June 26 Toronto byelection less than two weeks away, several Toronto mayoral candidates have vowed not to use them.
Premier Doug Ford previously said Toronto and Ottawa would act as a "test area" before the powers were expanded to other municipalities.
Following the province's announcement, Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown said the new powers will help fast-track the city's goal of building more homes.
"I am grateful the Premier has made it easier to implement our respective agendas," Brown said in a statement.
However, some mayors said they have no plans to use the powers.
"In eight point five years as mayor I would be hard-pressed to think of a time when I ever would have used this particular tool because my approach has been, and my council's approach has been, to work collaboratively," said Kitchener Mayor Berry Vrbanovic.
"We'll look at the specifics of the rules and the regulations, but in terms of the day-to-day decisions, tackling things like housing and making sure that we're getting housing built, we have a council that's been working collaboratively."
Kingston Mayor Brian Paterson said in a statement that he and his council are committed to solving the housing crisis through collaboration.
"Today's announcement doesn't change my style or how I will continue to lead as mayor," he wrote in a statement.
"Anyone who has worked with me knows I am not going to all of a sudden start wielding this tool, but I am also not going to rule it out if there were situations in the future that may require considering it."
Move 'undermines' rights of elected officials: NDP
The announcement sparked criticism from the Opposition NDP, which said the move "undermines the rights of elected local councils and the communities they serve.
"This is about Ford giving himself more power to compel municipalities to create expensive urban sprawl that will hurt real people and line the pockets of the Premier's developer friends," said NDP Housing critic Jessica Bell in a statement Friday.
"Ontarians want to build a life in the communities they love, with affordable housing, real rent control, and functioning transit."
The NDP statement called on the provincial government to ensure that construction of new homes includes starter homes, purpose-built rentals and affordable housing units. It also called on the province to close loopholes used for renovictions and to put an end to "exclusionary zoning."
The list of regions given new mayor powers Friday includes:
- Ajax.
- Barrie.
- Brampton.
- Brantford.
- Burlington.
- Caledon.
- Cambridge.
- Clarington.
- Guelph.
- Hamilton.
- Kingston.
- Kitchener.
- London.
- Markham.
- Milton.
- Mississauga.
- Niagara Falls.
- Oakville.
- Oshawa.
- Pickering.
- Richmond Hill.
- St. Catharines.
- Vaughan.
- Waterloo.
- Whitby.
- Windsor.
With files from Sara Jabakhanji and The Canadian Press