Ontario government proposes expansion of strong mayor powers to 169 more municipalities, including EZT, Perth East and Wilmot

One-hundred and sixty-nine mayors across Ontario will have Strong Mayor Powers as of May 1, including, from left to right, Mayor Phil Schaefer from East Zorra-Tavistock, Mayor Rhonda Ehgoetz in Perth East and Wilmot Mayor Natasha Salonen. Contributed photos

By Lee Griffi, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The Government of Ontario is continuing to bolster the unilateral decision-making powers of mayors across the province with a proposal to expand strong mayor powers to 169 additional municipalities effective May 1, including East Zorra-Tavistock (EZT), Perth East and Wilmot Township.

In 2022, through changes to the Municipal Act, strong mayor powers were first granted to the heads of councils in Toronto and Ottawa, and then to mayors in 48 additional municipalities in 2023. Though several municipalities declined the enhanced mayoral powers, a total of 47 mayors in Ontario now have these strong mayor powers.

“Heads of council are key partners in our efforts to build homes and infrastructure across the province,” said Ontario Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Rob Flack in a press release announcing the latest proposed expansion. “By extending strong mayor powers to these additional municipalities, we are providing mayors every tool at our disposal to empower them to get homes and infrastructure built faster. Mayors know their municipalities best, and we support them in taking bold actions for their communities.”

Strong mayor powers include the ability to appoint a municipality’s chief administrative officer (CAO), hire certain municipal department heads and reorganize departments, create committees of council, propose the municipal budget, propose certain bylaws the mayor says advances a provincial priority, veto certain bylaws the mayor says could interfere with a provincial priority, and bring forward matters for discussion by council if the mayor says they could advance a provincial priority.

“I am looking forward to a fulsome discussion with all members of council at our April 16 meeting regarding these new strong mayor powers,” said EZT Mayor Phil Scheafer. “I can easily understand the concerns with these changes. The main concerns centre around the ability for the mayor to hire the CAO, department heads and reorganize departments, and also the ability to pass bylaws with only one-third council support,” he added.

The one-third rule only applies to matters of provincial priorities around housing and the issues infrastructure.

“If something is a good idea, I would think that the majority of councillors would also be in agreement,” Schaefer said.

Schaefer, a former banker, spent over 30 years of his career managing staff across the province. He said he has learned it is not a good idea to mess with success, and he sees no reason to interfere with the high-functioning staff at EZT.

“I look at these new powers as another tool for the mayor to use if they choose to do so. A tool in the right hands can create a masterpiece. In the wrong hands, it can create a huge mess. I don’t like messes.”

Perth East Mayor Rhonda Ehgoetz said it will be business as usual despite her newfound powers.

“The government is doing this to increase housing, so I don’t see any changes in Perth East. I may (use them) some day, but not at this point. I haven’t even talked to my council. I’m not even sure if everyone is aware of what’s going on.”

Ehgoetz added she was taken off guard by the news, though there were some rumblings at the Rural Ontario Municipal Association (ROMA) conference in January.

Some mayors have hinted they may decide to propose the municipal budget, which would be subject to council amendments and a separate head of council veto and council override process, much like what Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow has done. Ehgoetz said that doesn’t interest her in the least.

“That’s not on the radar. We have a great budget process in Perth East and it works very well. I don’t see any problems with (the budget) or anything else right now. If we get the powers, fine, they are always there if we need them, but I don’t think I’m going to jump on them and use them right away.”

Over in Wilmot Township, Mayor Natasha Salonen said she hasn’t heard any feedback from constituents and added her focus is on the work at hand.

“There is plenty of day-to-day stuff we are digging through. I think it’s really important to continue to understand what exactly this means and what this new set of tools can help us utilize and achieve in our communities and better understand how they will apply.”

She added the province has clearly outlined the provincial priorities it is looking to advance, including housing and affordability.

“They are key issues in my community as well, and I think every community in Ontario. I think if an opportunity arises and it is appropriate to use them, that’s certainly something to consider. In Wilmot, residents have made it clear they want a functioning and effective municipal government that delivers results.”

Salonen explained the Ford government has completely changed the way it originally handed out the controls, but she understands where it’s coming from.

“I think it’s interesting because there was a period when the province was allowing municipalities to sign on to strong mayor powers if they made certain growth commitments. I think it’s interesting to see a change in tactic because this isn’t a sign-up-as-you-pledge to something, it’s now you have them. I think it’s this government wanting to take a strong stance on making sure we improve life for Ontarians.”

Wilmot Councillor Lillianne Dunstall said that as a member of council, she recognizes the announcement brings both opportunities and challenges.

“These new powers … are designed to accelerate decision-making and help municipalities advance key priorities, particularly in areas like housing and infrastructure. If used thoughtfully, they may help streamline processes and deliver results that benefit our community.”

At the same time, she added, it's important to ensure the changes do not come at the expense of democratic accountability or meaningful collaboration around the council table.

Instances like the use of strong mayor powers granted in the wake of the recent ice storm to reverse the hiring of a new CAO in favour of hiring from within by Orillia Mayor Don McIsaac, as well as public backlash to the proposed use of strong mayor powers in municipalities like Burlington and Caledon, have some worrying these powers have not yet been adequately tested and they may be a step too far.

In response to the recent announcement of the expansion from the province, the Association of Municipal Managers, Clerks and Treasurers of Ontario (AMCTO), which has been tracking the use of strong mayor powers since they were first introduced in Toronto and Ottawa in 2022, said there is no evidence to suggest this legislation has any impact on the number of housing starts in municipalities that have been granted the powers.

Instead, AMCTO says its research suggests strong mayor powers have blurred the political-administrative authority between the roles of heads of council and chief administrative officers (CAOs), threatening the neutrality of the public service and politicizing local government leadership.

“Looking at Ontario’s Housing Supply Tracker, there is no evidence to suggest that the use of strong mayor powers is helping to build housing,” said AMCTO spokesperson Jacquelyn Folville. “For example, of the 11 municipalities where mayors used powers in relation to staff and organizational structure, only three were on track to meet or exceed their 10-year target. We have more so been hearing about instances where the powers have created confusion by blurring the distinction of mayor and CAO roles or responsibilities, and where there's been operational issues – for example, affecting a recent council decision at the Town of Orillia.”

Zack Taylor, an associate professor of political science at Western University and a fellow at the Institute of Municipal Finance and Governance, has been among those sounding alarm bells about strong mayor powers since their introduction.

“If we buy the argument that these powers can be used to expand housing in rapidly growing areas, it’s the larger municipalities in rapidly growing areas that already have these powers,” Taylor said. “So, bringing this to much smaller places, many of them slower-growth places, I’m not sure if it’s something that would move the needle.

“ … I think a cynical perspective on it is this is a way for the province to transfer blame for the housing crisis onto mayors.”

Among the myriad issues he sees with strong mayor powers and this proposed expansion is the decision by the province to expand these powers to smaller municipalities with fewer staff.

“If we think this entire policy basically emerged out of Doug Ford’s special interest in Toronto, the City of Toronto’s administrative structure with 30,000-plus employees is enormous and multi-layered, so the idea of having the mayor being able to play a role in hiring and firing senior staff means that you’re only really looking at that top layer. When you go to smaller places, we know you can fit the entire staff of a municipality in one room. … So, what does it mean to give the mayor hiring and firing power over that kind of thing? I think what it really risks is arbitrary decisions getting made, people playing favourites – you hire uncle Joe or whatever,” Taylor said.

Another red flag for Taylor, specifically among smaller councils with as little as six members, is the notion a strong mayor can introduce a bylaw that supposedly advances a provincial priority and see it passed with just one-third of council’s support. For a council with six members, one of whom is the mayor, that means it would require just one other councillor’s support to pass.

While Taylor said these powers could see some benefits when it comes to limiting council debate during budget deliberations to ensure annual budgets are passed in a timely manner, he sees this expansion of power as opening the door to mayoral candidates in future municipal elections running with the intention of using strong mayor powers to advance their own agendas instead of what’s best for their communities. And, in many smaller and rural communities, Taylor said mayoral candidates often run unopposed.

“Next time around, they’ll run with the knowledge of having these powers,” Taylor said. “ … You could imagine in small places that don’t really have any local media – there isn’t a lot of scrutiny – that things could go off the rails pretty fast.”

With files from Galen Simmons