Mayor Ryan calls strong mayor powers undemocratic at recent Zorra Township Council meeting

Connor Luczka, Echo Correspondent

Although the Township of Zorra was not on the recent list of municipalities to receive strong mayor powers in May, Mayor Marcus Ryan nevertheless opposes the move.

“As the current mayor, I have no desire to have strong mayor powers,” Ryan said. “Municipalities make the best decisions when all the members of the council contribute equally and when we are forced to deal with each other's disagreements is when we do the best work that we can. I certainly have no desire for any future mayor to have strong mayor powers…I think it's fundamentally undemocratic.”

The Province of Ontario recently announced the expansion of strong mayor powers, a 2022 change that endowed heads of councils with enhanced powers that include hiring certain municipal department heads and reorganizing departments, proposing the municipal budget, proposing certain bylaws the mayor says advances a provincial priority, vetoing certain bylaws the mayor says could interfere with a provincial priority, and bringing forward matters for discussion by council if the mayor says they could advance a provincial priority.

The province justified these powers as a way to address the housing crisis and build more homes. They were extended to Toronto and Ottawa, then later to 48 municipalities in 2023. Now, 169 other municipalities are poised to receive them.

Further to being undemocratic, Ryan said he also thinks they are ineffective at expanding housing.

“I think there are highly visible, demonstrable situations where strong mayor powers for the purposes of getting housing built are absolutely not working in situations where there explicitly is a strong mayor. Even if you say you're willing to compromise the democracy and the representation of municipal councils, for that reason, it doesn't work.”

Ryan made those comments at the township council meeting on April 16, after Coun. Katie Grigg and Coun. Paul Mitchell made a motion to formally oppose the expansion, a sentiment shared by each member of council.

Mitchell said he spoke with Perth South Mayor Sue Orr who is also set to receive powers. She didn’t know they were on the table until the media reached out for comment.

“There's absolutely no consultation, no request from smaller municipalities to have this,” Mitchell explained. “It's just some idea in Toronto that's being handed out, and as with many of their ideas, it's a bad idea.”

“Within this council, we have similar views of what we think Zorra can look like, but the times there have been differing views, there's been better discussion for it, and I think better decisions made,” said Coun. Kevin Stewart.

The motion was passed unanimously.

Council denies undersized farm severance, approves dog kennel application

At that same meeting, council hosted two public meetings for zone change applications. The first was to hear from the public regarding an application to sever an agricultural lot. The second concerned the creation of a dog kennel.

The zone change application for a proposed dog kennel on the 43rd Line in Beachville was successful in getting approval from council, but the first application was not as councillors around the horseshoe expressed concern over the agricultural lot’s viability.

David Kittmer, the applicant, wants to sever his 118.6-acre property located on the south side of Road 96 in East Nissouri into two parcels of land (one a 100-acre plot and the other just under 20 acres). The municipality’s zoning bylaw states the minimum size for a new agricultural lot is 74.1 acres.

Kittmer’s partner Lloy Wylie said the plan is to grow and sell organic and heirloom produce, sell and donate flowers, and produce locally grown food, as well as continue a 25-year project to be environmental stewards, restoring the ecology and protecting the wildlife, pollinators, and watershed features that are on the property.

“The initiative is coming because David's father is actually quite ill. He is the owner of the land and wants to sell the property,” Wylie said. “So far, what we've seen is interest is from gravel operations, aggregate extraction. We think that is going to be a huge threat to this area and so feel like this is our best opportunity to protect this zone – to be able to continue the work that David has done in restoration, meet the needs of the environmental farm plan that he created, and retain the small lot.”

Staff and council members were not convinced, however.

Grigg did not support the application, saying that she is thinking about the long-term viability of a 20-acre farm parcel beyond the applicants’ efforts, though did say that it wasn’t a “feel good vote,” given the thorough presentation given by the applicant and the presenting planners.

Mitchell agreed. Although he said that there are intensive agricultural uses that are viable on smaller lot sizes, he did not see those represented in the application and like Grigg was looking at the long-term use of the land.

Kittmer’s denial was unanimous.