Ontario tables 'strong mayor' legislation. Here's what you need to know
The mayors of Toronto and Ottawa will be granted sweeping new powers which will give them sole responsibility for preparing the municipal budget for council approval as well the ability to hire and fire department heads as they see fit and veto some decisions made by councillors.
The new legislation, titled the ‘Strong Mayors, Building Homes Act,” was formally tabled at Queen’s Park on Wednesday afternoon.
The proposed changes outlined in the legislation would allow the mayors of Toronto and Ottawa to override council approval of a bylaw when they are of the opinion that using the veto “would further a provincial priority.”
However, they would have to override the bylaw as a whole and would not have the ability to choose which specific aspects or amendments to block.
There is also nothing in the legislation that would allow the empowered mayors to push through bylaws, without council approval.
The Ford government has not provided a list of items which might qualify as an issue of “provincial priority” at this point, however a ministry official speaking on background during a technical briefing said that there will be “a regulation making power” contained in the legislation which will allow the government to “prescribe what those provincial priorities” are.
The official said that the government’s plan to build 1.5 million homes over the next decade would likely qualify as a provincial priority, as would the need for “critical infrastructure around roads transit and things of that nature.”
However, ministry officials say that the way the legislation is written will effectively mean that it will be up to the mayor to determine whether the bylaw he or she is overruling does in fact interfere with a designated provincial priority.
That veto could then only be overruled by a two-thirds vote at city council, which would have to take place within 21 days of it being used.
Authority to hire and fire department heads
The tabling of the legislation comes about three weeks after news first surfaced that the Ford government was considering handing U.S.-style strong mayor powers to the chief magistrates of Toronto and Ottawa.
In addition to the veto power, the legislation also provides a suite of other new and enhanced powers to the mayors of Ontario’s two largest cities.
One of the major changes would see the responsibility for preparing budgets shifted from city council as a whole to the mayor’s office.
City council would still have to approve the budget and could pass amendments, though the mayor would have the option of using a separate veto power to override those amendments.
The changes would also give the mayor sole authority to appoint a Chief Administrative Officer, hire and fire department heads and create or reorganize departments.
The ministry says that those powers would, however, not apply to statutory appointments, such as the Chief of Police or the Medical Officer of Health.
Speaking with CP24 earlier on Wednesday before details of the legislation were revealed, Toronto Mayor John Tory said that even with enhanced powers his approach to being mayor “will not change” if re-elected in October.
“From my standpoint this is not going to change the way I do my job. My job is to work with every single member of city council that wants to work with me and continue to do that but at the end of the way as well I want to find as many ways as possible to get things done faster, to get more housing built faster and to make sure the transit plan we agreed upon as governments actually gets built,” he said.
The proposed legislation, if approved, would take effect at the beginning of the next term of council on Nov. 15.
Premier Doug Ford has previously said that he is open to extending the enhanced powers to the mayors of other large cities, however it will only apply to Toronto and Ottawa for the time being.
More to come….
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
King Charles' cancer treatment progressing well, says Buckingham Palace
King Charles III’s doctors are 'sufficiently pleased' with his cancer treatment and he is expected to return to public-facing duties, Buckingham Palace announced on Friday.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
AFN chief says Air Canada offered a 15% discount after her headdress was mishandled
After the Assembly of First Nations' national chief complained to Air Canada about how staffers treated her and her ceremonial headdress on a flight this week, she says the airline responded by offering a 15 per cent discount on her next flight.
Regina police officer injured after being accidentally shot by fellow officer's gun
An investigation is underway after a Regina police officer was accidentally shot by a fellow officer’s gun during the search of a house early Friday morning.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
DEVELOPING Bird flu outbreaks: WHO weighs in on public health risk
The current overall public health risk posed by the H5N1 bird flu virus is low, the World Health Organization said on Friday, but urged countries to stay alert for cases of animal-to-human transmission.
Taylor Swift dons Montreal designer's dress in 'Fortnight' video
A pair of Montreal designers' work has now been viewed over 41 million times. Taylor Swift dons a Victorian throwback black gown in her latest music video, 'Fortnight', designed by UNTTLD due Simon Belanger and Jose Manuel Saint-Jacques.
From faulty kids' cribs to flammable kids' bathrobes, here are the recalls of the week
Health Canada issued recalls for various items this week, including kids’ bathrobes, cribs and henna cones.
Island near Mull of Kintyre for sale for US$3.1 million
An idyllic 453-acre private island is up for sale off the west coast of Scotland and it comes with sandy beaches, puffins galore, seven houses, a pub, a helipad and a flock of black-faced sheep.