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
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.
What is whooping cough and should Canadians be concerned as Europe declares outbreak?
There is currently a whooping cough epidemic in Europe, with 10 times as many cases compared to the previous two years. While an outbreak has not been declared nationwide in Canada, whooping cough is regularly detected in the country.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
B.C. theatre to pay $55K to neurodivergent actor in discrimination case
British Columbia's human rights tribunal has awarded a neurodigergent actor, who was diagnosed with sensory and learning disorders, more than $55,000 after finding that a Kelowna theatre company discriminated against him because of his disabilities.
Who's responsible for regulating cannabis stores operating under the sovereignty banner?
It's not quite clear who is supposed to be regulating so-called sovereign cannabis stores or even ensure they're benefiting Indigenous communities.