When the provincial government expanded strong mayor powers to 26 cities in Ontario earlier this summer, one of the municipalities that was overlooked was Chatham-Kent.
The strong mayor powers were put in place to help regions get shovels in the ground faster to help deliver on the province’s goal to build 1.5 million homes by 2031.
The 26 cities that received strong mayor powers are members of Ontario’s Big City Mayors (OBCM), a group consisting of 29 mayors leading cities with populations of 100,000 or more.
Three municipalities of the 29 OBCM members did not make it onto the list including Chatham-Kent, Greater Sudbury and Thunder Bay.
“I expect sooner or later more communities will get it,” said Chatham-Kent mayor Darrin Canniff.
Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Steve Clark indicated that Chatham-Kent did not receive strong mayor powers because they have yet to enact a housing pledge.
Canniff said they were never asked for a pledge, but moving forward Chatham-Kent is working on creating a pledge that will lay out their goals for building more homes in the community.
The strong mayor powers include allowing mayors to propose housing-related bylaws and pass them with the support of one-third of councillors, as well as override council approval of bylaws, such as a zoning bylaw, that would hinder the creation of more homes.
Canniff said he thinks that with a collaborative effort between mayor and council, strong mayor powers wouldn’t be required in Chatham-Kent.
“There are always those exceptions but I look at it saying it’s not a big deal one way or the other whether Chatham-Kent has strong mayor capabilities or not,” Canniff said.
Strong mayors also have responsibility for preparing and tabling their city’s budget, instead of council, and hiring and firing department heads.
