Alayne McGregor
Ottawa will have a “strong mayor” starting in November, changing the balance of power around the city council table.
Bill 3, the “Strong Mayors, Building Homes Act, 2022” was passed by the Ontario Legislature on September 8. The bill gives many new powers to mayors in Ottawa and Toronto.
Too quickly and without consultation: Joel Harden
During the debate on Third Reading, Ottawa Centre MPP Joel Harden questioned why the bill was pushed through so quickly, and why residents of Ottawa were not directly consulted about it.
“Would we ever want to introduce a piece of legislation that would impact a particular municipality or community without talking to them first?”
He pointed out that current Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson had asked all candidates for mayor “to promise not to use the powers presented in this bill – not to use veto powers, not to use single-capacity hiring contracts for key positions in our city, either financial or otherwise.”
Referring to the lack of transparency in the city’s LRT Line 1 contract with Rideau Transit Group, Harden said that process demonstrated problems with lack of consultation and transparency – as would happen if a mayor could make decisions unilaterally.
The bill will also not succeed in creating more desperately-needed affordable housing in Ottawa Centre, he said; none of the new high rises now being built here by local developers have affordable housing components. He noted the bill did not include any references to inclusionary zoning that would require a percentage of affordable units.
In response, PC MPP Robin Martin said that the bill would allow “mayors to cut through red tape and to get housing built faster so that more families can realize the dream of attainable home ownership.”
Ontario Green leader Mike Schreiner noted that the government’s recent Housing Affordability Task Force did not mention increasing the mayor’s powers in its 55 recommendations.
Ottawa City Council opposed: “no evidence”
On August 31, Ottawa City Council passed a motion opposing the bill, noting that “no evidence has been presented” to support the claim that the added powers in the bill will allow more homes to be built, and that “recent history demonstrates that the Mayor of Ottawa has been able to consistently secure majority support for his motions at the Council table.”
The motion contended that the mayor is already the most influential position at the council table and that “further empowering the Mayor at the expense of ward councillors undermines the ability of ward councillors to effectively represent their constituencies.” The “increased asymmetry of power at the Council table diminishes the value of local representation and local democracy,” it said.
Regulations still to come
The bill is expected to come into force with the new city council in November.
Its associated regulations, which will more closely define the mayor’s powers, have not yet been published. Ottawa City Council also passed a motion asking the province to consult the city, the public, and professional and municipal organizations on the regulations.
Premier Doug Ford has said the powers could be extended to other Ontario cities later; the Association of Municipalities of Ontario has said any such expansion would require broad consultation.
Mayors can write budget, choose senior staff and chairs, override council
Under the bill, mayors would gain the power to write the city budget and choose or fire many senior city staff, in particular the Chief Administrative Officer and other senior administrators.
The Act specifies that the Mayor cannot touch some staff: the city clerk, the treasurer and deputy treasurer, the auditor-general, the integrity commissioner, the chief building official, police and fire chiefs, the medical officer of health, and officers who must be appointed according to provincial acts.
The mayor would also be able to appoint the chairs and vice-chairs of all local boards (presumably including the police board and the library board) and the chairs and vice-chairs of all standing committees. The mayor could also dissolve or establish any committees of council, and set their terms of reference.
The provincial government can also ordain provincial priorities, for example increasing housing supply. If a city council decision is in those areas, the mayor can override that decision and can only be overridden in turn by two-thirds of council. The mayor can also make unilateral proposals in those priority areas and require city council to consider them.
Most mayoral candidates opposed
When The BUZZ polled candidates for mayor last month, six of the nine who responded were opposed to the bill, including Catherine McKenney and Mark Sutcliffe.