The Ontario government is giving more powers to the mayors of Toronto and Ottawa — the province’s two largest cities — in a bill that does not win unanimous support. The province hopes that these increased powers, which would come into effect in November if the law is passed, will accelerate the construction of housing units so much in demand in these municipalities.
Under the Strong Mayors and Home Builders Act, mayors elected in the next municipal election in October will be able to veto a bylaw that goes against provincial priorities. One could imagine the mayor of Toronto, for example, rejecting a zoning by-law if he feels that it goes against the government’s priority to build 1.5 million homes over the next 10 years.
If the project is adopted – a quasi-formality given the super-majority of conservatives in the assembly – the power of veto will not, however, be absolute. The mayor must notify the members of council in advance that he intends to use his right of veto and he must justify his decision in writing. The municipal council may also cancel this right if two-thirds of the members agree. Finally, the mayor would not necessarily have to veto if he does not agree with one of the provincial priorities.
The new powers granted by the law will also allow mayors to appoint the director general of their municipality themselves, as well as other department heads, and to prepare the budget. These are the most important elements of the bill according to Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Steve Clark. “As mayor, you have to have the right team in place and the right policies in place, as well as being able to fund them,” explained the former mayor of Brockville.
The mayors of Toronto and Ottawa will be the first to get the powers, but other city leaders, if they commit to growing and cutting red tape, could be given the same rights over the next few years. Steve Clark, however, explained that he is focusing first on Toronto and Ottawa, where more than a third of Ontario’s growth over the next decade will take place.
In Doug Ford’s mind for eight years
Premier Doug Ford has been interested in this type of municipal superpower for some time. In 2014, when he was himself trying to become mayor of Toronto, the Prime Minister said that such a system would “end the disagreements”. “You have to hold someone accountable,” he told the Toronto Sun. On Wednesday, his Minister of Municipal Affairs repeated the message almost verbatim. “Now it’s easier to hold mayors accountable,” said Steve Clark.
Doug Ford’s former opponent in the 2014 mayoral race, Olivia Chow, vigorously opposes the bill. The widow of Jack Layton, former leader of the NDP, believes that the law will “destroy democracy” in Toronto. “Real estate developers will only have to contact the mayor for their project; they will not have to go through the municipal councillors, ”she argues. The new powers favor the construction of condos, she says, instead of affordable housing.
It is the third candidate of importance in the municipal campaign of 2014, John Tory, who is currently mayor of Toronto. And it is he, barring a surprise, who will be re-elected on October 24. John Tory, who is trying to obtain a third term, could therefore use these new powers to try to increase the Toronto housing stock in order to provide homes for the approximately 700,000 new residents who are expected in the Queen City from here. 2051.
A plan is in development to possibly allow the construction of duplexes, triplexes and quadruplexes (also called the “missing middle” in Toronto) in the city’s residential areas. Nearly a third of the territory of the municipality is reserved for the construction of single-family homes. One of the main goals of Expanding Housing Options in Neighborhoods is to amend the City’s Official Plan to construct “missing middle” buildings in residential neighborhoods.
In July, when the Toronto Star revealed that the province would eventually introduce the bill tabled on Wednesday, 23 of Toronto City Council’s 25 members signaled support for the measure. One of the two councilors opposing it, Denzil Minnan-Wong, is not running; the other, Josh Matlow, denounced the bill on social media in the afternoon. In Ottawa, Catherine McKenney, a mayoral candidate, lamented that the law was “undemocratic” in July.
This story is supported by the Local Journalism Initiative, funded by the Government of Canada.