City officials are reviewing the implications of the expansion of "strong mayor powers" to 21 new communities with populations in excess of or projected to exceed 50,000 by 2031, including North Bay.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford made the announcement Monday, in a speech delivered in London, Ont., at the Association of Municipalities of Ontario's conference.
See related: Ontario adding more 'strong mayors,' creating $1.2B in housing incentive fund
According to Gord Young, the City of North Bay's communications officer, Ford's move to offer incentives for meeting housing targets to the tune of $1.2 billion, and the expansion of the strong mayor powers — a total of 49 communities will soon have access to them — was unexpected and has left staffers searching for answers on just what it all means on a local level.
See also: Ford expands strong mayor powers, pledges cash for cities that meet housing targets
North Bay Mayor Peter Chirico is attending the AMO conference and Young says Chirico will reserve his comments until he can take a closer look at the Ontario PC government's plan.
"While we welcome today’s announcement and the potential benefits," Young says via a statement, "we will need to review the details to fully understand the program requirements, how it aligns with our existing housing strategies and next steps.
"In light of today's provincial announcement, we would also highlight that North Bay has already taken proactive measures by developing a Housing Action Plan and a strategy that supports the expansion of the local housing supply with targets that — with federal support — would exceed those set for our City as part of today’s provincial announcement. We’ll be able to comment further once we know more about the program."
While campaigning in 2022, Chirico and the other mayoral candidates were asked about strong mayor powers.
Although he initially declined to respond, saying he did not know enough about the legislation to comment, the mayor-to-be later stated, "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."
"Failing to act would worsen the housing supply affordability crisis," said Ford on Monday, according to a Canadian Press report. "Failing to act would hurt everyone in Ontario by driving up the cost of goods and services, and by hampering new job creation and investments. Failing to act would threaten to erode Canadians' unwavering support for immigration at a time when our economic success depends on welcoming skilled newcomers to fill critical labour gaps."
