Ontario should consult with city on 'strong mayor' role, Toronto Council says

Torontosun.com
July 22, 2022
Antonella Artuso

The Doug Ford government should consult with Toronto before implementing a ‘strong mayor’ model and grant the city more autonomy and decision-making authority, council decided Thursday.

Council stopped short of condemning Ford’s plan to give the mayor a veto and other unspecified powers.

Councillor Jennifer McKelvie, who introduced the motion for consultation, said the city should ask for more autonomy in areas like traffic safety, planning and housing, cannabis and liquor license approvals and new revenue tools.

“We don’t know what the province is planning, we don’t know how they define a strong mayor system, but what we do know is that the province of Ontario has the ability to amend the City of Toronto Act,” she said. “If they are going to open up the City of Toronto Act to create a stronger mayor, then I think we need to ask them for a stronger city by asking them to implement these measures.”

Ford has indicated that his government will introduce legislation to strengthen the powers of the mayors in Ottawa and Toronto.

Toronto Mayor John Tory supports the new powers, noting he will always have a consultative approach but would like more authority to move forward with important priorities like housing.

Councillor Josh Matlow, who asked council to object to a ‘strong mayor’ model, said Ford’s move has nothing to do with housing or autonomy.

“What this is about is consolidating the power on council into one person’s hands,” he said.

The councillor asked his colleagues how they would feel about a ‘strong mayor’ whose political views were in opposition to there wishes.

“Speaking of Rob Ford, how would we feel about a mayor who was smoking crack and under an active police investigation having those powers,” Matlow said. “This isn’t hypothetical.”

Rob Ford, the Premier’s late brother, served as mayor of the city between 2010-14 before succumbing to cancer.