Strong Mayor Powers Expanded

The Government of Ontario announced today that new regulations will extend strong mayor powers to additional municipal councils in Ontario.  The extension of the additional authority is intended to assist with Ontario’s housing shortage, which remains a priority for both the province and municipalities in every part of Ontario.

Expanding access to strong mayor powers is intended to build on other provincial steps to improve access to affordable housing, including the passage of Bill 97, Helping Homeowners, Protecting Tenants Act.    

These new powers were originally introduced in legislation last summer for Ontario’s two largest municipalities.  The AMO Board did not take a position on strong mayor powers but expressed openness to the idea.  It did express concerns with some aspects of the legislation - in particular, those affecting public administration - and recommended public consultation as the government considered the promised expansion of the new powers to additional municipal councils. AMO also expressed concern with a later provision eliminating the need for majority council support for certain decisions related to provincial priorities.   

Municipalities continue to be the most trusted order of government in Canada with statutory requirements in Ontario for transparency, openness and accountability that are unequaled. 

In response to today’s announcement, AMO released the following media statement:

“Improving housing affordability is a number-one priority for municipalities in every part of Ontario. Strong mayor powers can provide an additional tool to help municipalities play their important role in increasing Ontario’s housing supply.  As the most trusted order of government, municipalities can be counted on to exercise new powers accountably and in the best interests of the public and the communities they serve”.