Province Extends Strong Mayor Powers, Gives Itself the Ability to Appoint Regional Chairs in Some Areas

The Ontario government is planning major changes to regional municipal governance in order to prioritize housing.

The province is looking to extend its "strong mayor" push and reform regional municipal governance, in order to build more housing in Ontario. 

The Progressive Conservatives have introduced the "Better Municipal Governance Act", which it says will address the housing crisis by extending strong mayor powers. 

It would also give the province the power to appoint regional chairs for certain municipalities, including Niagara, Peel and York regions. 

Regional chairs are often either appointed or elected during a general vote or city council vote. 

If passed, "provincially appointed facilitators" would assess the regional governments in Halton, Durham, Peel, York and Niagara. 

"These bold actions are necessary if our government is to keep its commitment to Ontarians and remove the obstacles standing in the way of much-needed housing," said Steve Clark, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. "That’s why we are again taking decisive action to provide municipal leaders the tools they need to plan for future population growth and get more homes built faster."

The legislation would also allow the mayors of Ottawa and Toronto, the two municipalities that have already received strong mayor powers, to propose and amend bylaws related to priorities and allow council to pass them with a one-third vote. 

Meanwhile, the NDP has spoken out against the move, saying it has nothing to do with housing affordability and will bulldoze local decision-making.

The provincial government has set a goal of building 1.5 million new homes over the next decade. 

Niagara Regional Chair Jim Bradley has released the following statement in response to the news. 

“The Regional Municipality of Niagara, like all other municipalities across Ontario, are creatures of the province. As such, I fully respect the province’s authority over local governments and their ability to make decisions they feel are in the best interest of the people of Ontario.

In regard to Minister Clark’s announcement that he is reappointing the Regional Chairs in Niagara, York and Peel, I can affirm my steadfast commitment to the people of Niagara and my readiness to continue serving as Regional Chair. I also want to share my enthusiasm for working with the next term of Council and getting back to work in early December.

It goes without saying that there is a significant housing crisis across Ontario. I applaud the province for considering all options at their disposal to address this crisis, including exploration of expansion of so-called “strong mayor” powers. As Regional Chair, I look forward to working with the announced Provincial facilitators to find ways to better support our growing population while addressing the housing crisis.

As I have said on multiple occasions, holding the Office of Regional Chair has been an honour and privilege that I do not take lightly. I will continue to execute the duties of this office to the best of my abilities as I serve the people and businesses of our region.”