Ontario set to introduce ‘strong mayor’ legislation to speed up housing development

Thestar.com, CBC.ca
Aug. 10, 2022

Ontario is set to introduce legislation today to give large municipal leaders so-called strong mayor powers as a way to get housing built more quickly.

Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Steve Clark is set to table a bill that the government says will give municipalities more tools.

Premier Doug Ford has said he’s planning a “strong mayor” system for Toronto and Ottawa and is considering expanding that to other cities.

Ford indicated through his government’s throne speech Tuesday that strong-mayor systems will let municipal leaders reduce timelines for development, standardize processes and address local barriers to increasing housing supply.

The premier has previously said two-thirds of a council would be able to overrule a mayor under such a system.

Ford did not indicate during the recent election campaign that he was planning to introduce such legislation.