Ontario passes bill extending strong mayor powers for Toronto and Ottawa
Ontario passes bill extending strong mayor powers for Toronto and Ottawa
Ontario government has passed a bill that will give the mayors of two major cities the ability to pass certain bylaws with support from just over a third of council, despite reservations made by the majority of Toronto’s elected representatives.
Bill 39, also known as the Better Municipal Governance Act, builds on strong mayor powers already given to Ottawa and Toronto.
Under the new legislation, the mayor of both of these cities will be given the ability to propose and amend bylaws related to provincial priorities with a vote of more than one-third of council. This would mean nine out of 25 councillors would need to support the mayor’s agenda.
Usually, in order to pass anything in city council, a majority vote is required.
The government has defined a provincial priority broadly as being anything that relates to the building of housing, including construction, and maintenance of related infrastructure such as transit and roads.
The Progressive Conservative government first tabled Bill 39 in mid-November, touting it as yet another tool to help get 1.5 million homes built in the next 10 years. Since then, opposition parties and city councillors have been vocal with their criticism, calling the legislation an affront to the democratic process.
The majority of Toronto’s city council wrote a letter earlier this week to the premier and minister of municipal affairs, asking them to reconsider the bill until further consultation could take place. However, Premier Doug Ford defended the bill when speaking to reporters Wednesday, saying it was not “undemocratic” as others claimed.
“At the end of the day, it's the mayor that’s standing in front of the microphone like I do, answering all the tough questions, being held accountable. He's responsible for running the city and for him to have one vote. That's just not acceptable.”
Speaking outside the Legislature on Thursday, House Leader Paul Calandra said the bill provides “hope and opportunity” to those wanting to own a home.
“Today this legislature made huge strides in helping achieve that so many people and I'm very proud,” he said.
The Better Municipal Governance Act just became law: Our government's third housing bill in just four months!
We will keep fighting to get more homes built so Ontarians of all ages & backgrounds can find a home that's right for them. 🏘️ pic.twitter.com/VJjG18a3xq
Ontario’s Official Opposition argues that Bill 39 has nothing to do with building housing.
“If this government actually wanted to solve the housing crisis, it would commit to building more affordable homes for Ontarians, bringing in stronger rent control measures, building missing middle homes in existing neighbourhoods and clamping down on speculation,” interim Ontario NDP Leader Peter Tabuns said in a statement.
"Ontarians value democracy, and people are rightly concerned about Doug Ford's latest ploy to wrest power from local, democratically elected decision-makers, as he is giving himself permission to do with the just-passed Bill 39.”
Toronto Mayor John Tory, who has admitted to asking for the more powers, says while he supports the legislation, he will strive to arrive at a consensus with council.
Tory has already shown that he is unafraid of using the strong mayor powers. Earlier this month, he used the new authority granted to him in September to hire and fire department heads by appointing Paul Johnson as the new city manager.
Ottawa’s mayor has said he does not intend on using the powers.
In addition to giving mayors stronger powers, Bill 39 would give the province the authority to appoint regional heads of council for certain municipalities. It also amends the Duffins Rouge Agricultural Preserve Act in order to open up more Greenbelt land and “assist in removing barriers to building much-needed housing in Pickering.”
The federal government is pledging to increase health funding to Canada's provinces and territories by $196.1 billion over the next 10 years, in a long-awaited deal aimed at addressing Canada's crumbling health-care systems with $46.2 billion in new funding.
After raising interest rates eight consecutive times, Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem told an audience in Quebec City on Tuesday that inflation is showing signs of 'turning the corner' and that the coming year 'will be different.'
Residents digging through a collapsed building in a northwest Syrian town discovered a crying infant whose mother appears to have given birth to her while buried underneath the rubble from this week's devastating earthquake, relatives and a doctor said Tuesday.
An Ontario man is being accused of changing his name, profession and life story multiple times to potentially more than 100 women online before leaving some out thousands of dollars, a CTV News Toronto investigation has found.
Canadians now believe they need $1.7 million in savings in order to retire, a 20 per cent increase from 2020, according to a new BMO survey. The eye-watering figure is the largest sum since BMO first started surveying Canadians about their retirement expectations 13 years ago.
Three men who disappeared after planning to rap at a Detroit party were killed by multiple gunshots, police said Tuesday, five days after their bodies were found in a vacant, rat-infested building.
A report from British Columbia's coroner says a prominent anti-vaccine and COVID critic died in 2021 of a drug overdose, although he also tested positive for the illness post-mortem.
Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands announced Tuesday that they plan to provide Ukraine with at least 100 refurbished Leopard 1 battle tanks, a pledge that comes as Kyiv anticipates a new Russian offensive around the anniversary of its invasion.
The Laurier Macdonald High School in Montreal's Saint-Leonard borough was placed into lockdown Tuesday afternoon due to a threat, but Montreal police say they believe it appears to be unfounded.
The federal government is pledging to increase health funding to Canada's provinces and territories by $196.1 billion over the next 10 years, in a long-awaited deal aimed at addressing Canada's crumbling health-care systems with $46.2 billion in new funding.
London police are searching for three suspects who allegedly broke into a home in the downtown core on Monday and assaulted an occupant with a baseball bat, before stealing cash and drugs.
Multiple robbery, weapons and drug charges have been laid against a man and a woman who police allege robbed a Walmart in Goderich last month, according to Huron County OPP.
The federal government is pledging to increase health funding to Canada's provinces and territories by $196.1 billion over the next 10 years, in a long-awaited deal aimed at addressing Canada's crumbling health-care systems with $46.2 billion in new funding.
The Special Investigation Unit (SIU) is appealing for witnesses after an arrest in Stratford sent a 34-year-old man to hospital for treatment of a serious injury.
An Ontario man is being accused of changing his name, profession and life story multiple times to potentially more than 100 women online before leaving some out thousands of dollars, a CTV News Toronto investigation has found.
The federal government is pledging to increase health funding to Canada's provinces and territories by $196.1 billion over the next 10 years, in a long-awaited deal aimed at addressing Canada's crumbling health-care systems with $46.2 billion in new funding.
There is a new sign of financial issues with an Ottawa construction company that suddenly closed, leaving customers with unfinished projects unable to recoup their losses.
Two people have died in a serious single-vehicle crash in Kingsville, a third person was injured and transported to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
The federal government is pledging to increase health funding to Canada's provinces and territories by $196.1 billion over the next 10 years, in a long-awaited deal aimed at addressing Canada's crumbling health-care systems with $46.2 billion in new funding.
Windsor police say one person has been arrested and they are looking for another suspect after a man was beaten near downtown, resulting in life-threatening injuries.
A former medical student who claims he fatally shot a fellow student in self-defence during a drug deal in Halifax denied Tuesday he planned to kill the man and steal the marijuana he was carrying.
The federal government is pledging to increase health funding to Canada's provinces and territories by $196.1 billion over the next 10 years, in a long-awaited deal aimed at addressing Canada's crumbling health-care systems with $46.2 billion in new funding.
The Tsuut'ina Police Service, which serves a community west of Calgary, says it has spoken with more victims of former Dances With Wolves actor Nathan Chasing Horse and additional charges will be laid against him in the coming days.
The federal government is pledging to increase health funding to Canada's provinces and territories by $196.1 billion over the next 10 years, in a long-awaited deal aimed at addressing Canada's crumbling health-care systems with $46.2 billion in new funding.
A passenger plane packed with donations and emergency supplies is set to travel from Vancouver, B.C., to Istanbul on Tuesday, as the death toll from Monday’s 7.8 magnitude earthquake in Turkiye and Syria surpasses 6,200.
A report from British Columbia's coroner says a prominent anti-vaccine and COVID critic died in 2021 of a drug overdose, although he also tested positive for the illness post-mortem.
The federal government is pledging to increase health funding to Canada's provinces and territories by $196.1 billion over the next 10 years, in a long-awaited deal aimed at addressing Canada's crumbling health-care systems with $46.2 billion in new funding.
The federal government is pledging to increase health funding to Canada's provinces and territories by $196.1 billion over the next 10 years, in a long-awaited deal aimed at addressing Canada's crumbling health-care systems with $46.2 billion in new funding.
