Seven Huron County mayors granted "Strong Mayor Powers" by provincial government
BY SHAWN LOUGHLIN
The provincial government is proposing the expansion of its “strong mayor powers” to 169 additional municipalities, including all but two in Huron County, effective May 1.
The move by the provincial government, made in an effort to accelerate the delivery of provincial priorities, such as building homes, transit and other infrastructure, was initially rolled out in the government’s previous term. Forty-seven cities, towns and municipalities have been granted these powers, with the first coming in 2022 for Toronto and Ottawa, but not without controversy, as some denounced the strong mayor powers as undemocratic and some mayors chose not to take them on.
According to a press release issued by the provincial government on Wednesday morning, strong mayor powers and duties include:
• Choosing to appoint the municipality’s chief administrative officer
• Hiring certain municipal department heads and establishing and reorganizing departments
• Creating committees of council, assigning their functions and appointing the chairs and vice-chairs of committees of council
• Proposing the municipal budget, which would be subject to council amendments and a separate head of council veto and council override process
• Proposing certain municipal bylaws if the mayor is of the opinion that the proposed bylaw could potentially advance a provincial priority identified in regulation; council can pass these bylaws if more than one-third of all council members vote in favour
• Vetoing certain bylaws if the head of council is of the opinion that all or part of the bylaw could potentially interfere with a provincial priority
• Bringing forward matters for council consideration if the head of council is of the opinion that considering the matter could potentially advance a provincial priority.
The provincial government is proposing to expand strong mayor powers at the beginning of next month to Ashfield-Colborne-Wawanosh, Bluewater, Central Huron, the Town of Goderich, Huron East, North Huron and South Huron, as well as other nearby communities that aren’t in Huron County, such as West Perth, South Bruce, Huron-Kinloss, Kincardine and more.
“This significant expansion reflects Ontario’s commitment to streamline local governance and help ensure municipalities have the tools they need to reduce obstacles that can stand in the way of new housing and infrastructure development,” the press release, issued on Wednesday morning, said. “The powers would allow heads of council of single- and lower-tier municipalities with councils of six members or more to support shared provincial-municipal priorities, such as encouraging the approval of new housing and constructing and maintaining infrastructure to support housing, including roads and transit.”
Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Rob Flack, in that release, said that expansion of strong mayor powers is integral to building more homes and infrastructure in Ontario.
“Heads of council are key partners in our efforts to build homes and infrastructure across the province,” he said. “By extending strong mayor powers to these additional municipalities, we are providing mayors every tool at our disposal to empower them to get homes and infrastructure built faster. Mayors know their municipalities best, and we support them in taking bold actions for their communities.”