Chatham-Kent’s mayor remains on the fence about the Ontario government’s “strong mayor” legislation being expanded to include other municipalities.
Mayor Darrin Canniff said the legislation, which expands mayoral powers in designated municipalities, was discussed during a lengthy meeting of Ontario’s Big City Mayors on Sunday at the Association of Municipalities of Ontario conference in Ottawa.
“That was a big topic… there are very mixed reviews about that. There’s some people that like parts of it and don’t like other parts,” said Canniff.
The legislation will give the mayors of Toronto and Ottawa more power to advance provincial priorities, specifically when it comes to speeding up housing development. Mayors would also be able to draft budgets themselves or override council approval of a bylaw that would hamper the province’s agenda.
During the AMO conference on Monday, Premier Doug Ford announced that he would be expanding the “strong mayor” legislation beyond just Toronto and Ottawa.
While Canniff said there are elements of the legislation that could benefit Chatham-Kent, there are many unanswered questions.
“I’m very hesitant to say it’s going to be super helpful in Chatham-Kent,” Canniff said. “The verdict is still out and collectively, we want more discussion on it and the ability to modify it.”
While addressing municipal leaders on Monday, Ford said further details about how mayors outside of Toronto and Ottawa will be given additional powers will be revealed in the coming months.
