Tuesday’s speech from the throne confirmed that the Ford administration would go ahead with a new model of government that gives special powers to the mayors of Ottawa and Toronto.
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do not do it
That’s Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson’s message to Ontario’s Progressive Conservative government as Premier Doug Ford steps into local government armed with plans for a “strong mayor” system for Ottawa and Toronto, and potentially other cities in the future.
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“I see no need to give certain mayors more powers and veto power over duly elected councillors,” Watson said in a statement Tuesday after Lieutenant Governor Elizabeth Dowdeswell read the speech from the throne in the Ontario legislature.
“What we have now, while imperfect, creates a system of checks and balances between the mayor and the council,” said Watson, who is not seeking re-election on the Oct. 24 citywide vote. “I have never asked for more powers and would urge the government not to proceed with this aspect of the throne speech.”
Tuesday’s speech from the throne confirmed that the Ford administration would go ahead with a new model of government that gives special powers to the mayors of Ottawa and Toronto. The PCs are linking his proposal to the housing crisis.
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“Strong mayor systems will empower municipal leaders to work more effectively with the province to reduce development timelines, standardize processes, and address local barriers to increasing housing supply,” Dowdeswell said as he read the mayor’s address. throne.
“For urban populations, these new powers will be especially relevant as the province works with its municipal partners to expand the footprint of transit-oriented communities so more people can live, work and play near the convenience of public transit.” .
On Wednesday, Housing and Municipal Affairs Minister Steve Clark will introduce legislation characterized as “additional tools to build more houses faster.”
The PCs have not yet put into writing exactly what the mayor’s strict rules would be, but Ford has suggested that the governance model would give the mayor veto power, with two-thirds of the council being able to block the veto.
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Currently, the mayor’s vote in council carries the same weight as the district councilors’ votes. Each member gets only one vote on a motion. It means that if the mayor, or any member of the council, wants to turn a proposal into policy, more than half of the council must agree.
In Toronto, Mayor John Tory, who is seeking re-election, has supported the idea of a strong mayoral system.
However, the idea has not been received with much fanfare in Ottawa.
Ottawa mayoral candidates weren’t praising the province’s plans when word spread last month about the mayor’s strong proposal.
Catherine McKenney criticized the strong mayor plan as an “undemocratic” move, Mark Sutcliffe said she was “ready to work within the current system to build the consensus our city needs,” and Bob Chiarelli promoted his “open door policy” and his “record as a consensus builder.”
Watson crunched the numbers and discovered what many would already know: It has required no additional powers to move votes through the council.
“I’ve found that weak mayors want more powers,” Watson said. “I am proud to have worked with council members to pass approximately 98.2 percent of council votes during our last three terms without any special powers.”
