Parry Sound council has rejected the strong mayors powers the Province of Ontario extended to the municipality on April 9.
At a meeting on April 15, council unanimously approved a motion introduced by Mayor Jamie McGarvey to formally express their opposition of the new powers the province bestowed upon the town, and 168 other municipalities across the province.
“Personally, I feel that this is a shift in thought and policy further to the right,” said McGarvey. “I certainly see this as an erosion of democracy. Policy like this positions an individual closer, as far as I am, to a dictatorship. Given what is going on around the world right now and to the south of us, it appalls me that we would be put in that position.”
McGarvey referenced findings by the Association of Municipal Clerks & Treasurers of Ontario, which state that there is no clear evidence the powers lead to increased housing starts. They also raise concerns about the blurring of political and administrative roles and the potential politicization of municipal leadership.
“As Mayor, I value a collaborative and a council-driven approach to decision-making,” he said. “We respect the Province’s intent, but these powers are an erosion of democracy and not a fit for how our community governs itself.”
Other councillors voiced their support for McGarvey and reiterated his stance.
“All we have to do is look south of the border to see what is going on when one person has the power or seems to feel that they can take the power with no accountability,” said Coun. Doug McCann. “To go with this would just erode democracy.”
The town will be sending a letter to the Minister of Municipal Affairs, Premier Doug Ford, MPP Graydon Smith, and the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO), requesting that the Province either repeal the legislation, or provide an option for municipalities to formally decline the powers.
Ontario’s strong mayor powers, initially introduced for Toronto and Ottawa in 2022, have been gradually rolled out across the province. The province currently has 47 municipalities with these enhanced powers, which they say has helped to cut red tape and accelerate the delivery of key priorities in their communities.
Strong mayor powers and duties include:
- Choosing to appoint the municipality’s chief administrative officer.
- Hiring certain municipal department heads and establishing and re-organizing departments.
- Creating committees of council, assigning their functions and appointing the chairs and vice-chairs of committees of council.
- Proposing the municipal budget, which would be subject to council amendments and a separate head of council veto and council override process.
- Proposing certain municipal by-laws if the mayor is of the opinion that the proposed by-law could potentially advance a provincial priority identified in regulation. Council can pass these by-laws if more than one-third of all council members vote in favour.
- Vetoing certain by-laws if the head of council is of the opinion that all or part of the by-law could potentially interfere with a provincial priority.
- Bringing forward matters for council consideration if the head of council is of the opinion that considering the matter could potentially advance a provincial priority.
