Ontario government expands strong mayor powers to 26 more cities

The Ford government is expanding strong mayor powers to nearly 30 more municipalities in just over two weeks.

Hamilton, Niagara Falls, Barrie, Vaughan and Brampton are among the 26 municipalities that will be granted more power. A full list of the municipalities impacted is provided below.

Housing Minister Steve Clark said the expansion will take place on July 1.

“It's all around ensuring that those mayors have the tools to ensure that they meet their obligations,” Clark said, specifically pointing to the province’s target of building 1.5 million homes by 2031, on Friday morning after a meeting with Ontario’s Big City Mayors.

The legislation will give mayors veto powers over bylaws that conflict with provincial priorities. Typically, the city council needs a majority vote.

They can also prepare and table their city's budget, instead of council, and hire and fire department heads.

Toronto and Ottawa were given strong mayor powers as part of Bill 39, also known as the Better Municipal Governance Act, late last year. Clark would not say if the 26 additional mayors were in support of their new powers.

At the time, Ontario Premier Doug Ford said he was planning to expand the powers to more municipalities.

NDP municipal affairs critic Jeff Burch said the Ford government is using the housing crisis to push forward its own agenda.

“The Conservatives are weakening local government and the ability of local elected officials to serve their residents,” Burch said.

Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie and Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown respectively welcomed the announcement.

Crombie said she would use the powers “sparingly and with a degree of caution.”

“We have recognized the need to build affordable, attainable, supportive housing … we can't do it alone,” Burlington Mayor Marianne Meed Ward said.

“And so we are here, building, continuing to build, our relationship with the province and the federal government to make sure that every level of government is at the table to address those issues.”

Three of Ontario's Big City Mayors were not included in the expansion: Chatham-Kent, Sudbury and Thunder Bay. Newmarket was also excluded.

Clark said strong mayor powers were offered to every community that enacted a housing pledge. “They did not,” Clark said.

“We will reach out to them today with a letter and start a conversation about creating housing pledges,” he said.

Here is the list of municipalities getting strong mayor powers: 

1. Ajax

2. Barrie

3. Brampton

4. Brantford

5. Burlington

6. Caledon

7. Cambridge

8. Clarington

9. Guelph

10. Hamilton

11. Kingston

12. Kitchener

13. London

14. Markham

15. Milton

16. Mississauga

17. Niagara Falls

18. Oakville

19. Oshawa

20. Pickering

21. Richmond Hill

22. St. Catharines

23. Vaughan

24. Waterloo

25. Whitby

26. Windsor