What ramifications do the three candidates running for mayor of North Bay see with the potential introduction of "strong mayor powers" and how would the expansion of those powers to our municipality impact their actions, if elected?
Recently introduced provincial legislation proposes to give the mayors of Toronto and Ottawa more responsibility to deliver on shared provincial-municipal priorities, including building critical infrastructure and 1.5 million new homes over the next 10 years.
If passed, the Strong Mayors, Building Homes Act would give the mayors of Toronto and Ottawa the ability to move priority projects forward and, the provincial government claims, get more homes built faster.
Premier Doug Ford said at the Association of Municipalities of Ontario conference earlier this month he plans to expand such powers to other municipalities beyond Toronto and Ottawa as a way to get more housing built — with more information to be released to those centres in the coming months.
See related: Strong mayor powers to be expanded to more Ontario cities, Ford says
Proposed changes under strong mayor powers include:
- hiring the Chief Administrative Officer and municipal department heads, and creating and reorganizing departments except for statutory appointments such as an auditor general, police chief or fire chief
- appointing chairs/vice-chairs for identified committees and local boards, and establishing newly identified committees
- bringing matters for council consideration related to provincial priorities
- vetoing bylaws approved by council if they relate to matters of provincial priority
- proposing and tabling the municipal budget
A two-thirds majority vote by a municipal council would override a veto by the mayor.
Johanne Brousseau tells BayToday she has been following the development of the legislation but warns her comments are purely speculative as the government has yet to create accompanying regulations and yet to give the power to other mayors.
"I do recognize that the Ford government has its reasons to go in this direction. Currently, the council as a whole hires the CAO, has input and approves the budget.
"If the new legislation applied to our city, the Mayor could act more like a CEO and less as an elected member of council. The head of council could hire the department heads, the CAO, appoint chairs for local boards and committees and propose municipal budgets."
Brousseau takes issue with these powers.
"An elected Mayor could walk into City Hall with a slate of partisans as new hires and Chairs. The City could experience senior management turnover with every new mayor elected and would not benefit from the experience of long-serving senior employees. The City could be exposed to legal issues regarding wrongful dismissal, expensive buyouts and the possibility of mistakes made by new hires due to lack of municipal knowledge."
Brousseau advises this could negatively affect the current workforce shortage as it would become harder to encourage professionals to pursue careers in the municipal world due to the lack of job security for senior management.
"Council is elected to represent and be the voice of the citizens," Brousseau adds. "I respect the democratic decision-making process and feel these powers given to some mayors could send the municipality down a slippery slope and the common good of the community may not be at the forefront."
Mayoral candidate Peter Chirico has put off campaigning, for the most part, until after Labour Day and admits he does not yet know enough about the legislation to say whether it would be good for North Bay or not.
"As Mayor, I will use every tool available to make North Bay better and that includes using all legislation and whatever powers mayors in Ontario will have. Things aren’t going to change overnight. We’re facing some big challenges when it comes to dealing with housing, homelessness, substance abuse, mental health issues and so on. If this new legislation helps municipalities deal with these issues and implement positive solutions for the community, well, I don’t see how that’s a bad thing."
Mayoral candidate Leslie McVeety says, "North Bay could really benefit if the Act were to be extended to other cities. North Bay is in a massive affordable housing crisis. We need all the help we can get with this issue, so if enacting the Strong Mayors, Building Homes Act will speed up the building process, I fully support it."
Tim Hudak, CEO of the Ontario Real Estate Association says OREA supports the idea in principle:
"This ‘strong Mayor’ system would allow for the adjustment of development plans to create gentle density as needed, ensuring municipalities are not introducing policy or bylaw changes that directly contravene or work against provincial priorities — including the commitment to build 1.5 million homes over the next decade. Further changes that could help speed new housing supply include Mayoral responsibility for budgets, the ability to appoint a CAO, and the ability to hire and replace department heads, including the Chief Planner.
"More can still be done to address the existing housing affordability crisis, including ending exclusionary zoning in Ontario’s highest-demand urban neighbourhoods, which would allow for the building of duplexes, triplexes and fourplexes on lots traditionally zoned for single-family housing.”
Brousseau elaborates more specifically when it comes to housing, noting it has been reported that the new legislation is meant to accelerate development timelines — particularly when it comes to affordable housing.
"In North Bay, we do have a system that can fast track the housing application process. What is out of our hands is a council's planning decision being contested at the Ontario Land Tribunal. Presently it can take up to two years before the claim is heard," Brousseau says.
The mayoral hopeful shares she is a team leader and believes in engaging and listening to all logical reasons as to why a councillor decides to vote a particular way.
"If the strong mayor powers were given to North Bay, I would ask staff to present at the committee level a procedure indicating how the mayor could enact the strong mayor powers, be it with a fulsome discussion and a democratic consent of the three committee chairs."
