Toronto City Council will formally ask the Ford government to give it greater control and autonomy over a range of matters as the province considers giving the mayor more executive power.
In a motion passed Thursday, council called for the province to consult with the city on governance before any changes and to give it additional powers in several areas, including traffic safety measures, planning and housing, cannabis and liquor licensing and revenue raising measures. and budgeting.
The motion comes after the revelation, first reported by the Toronto Star, that Ontario Premier Doug Ford is considering legislating strong mayoral powers for Toronto and Ottawa, similar to the executive powers that enjoyed by many cities in the US, before the municipal elections in October.
While it’s not yet clear what exact powers the new legislation could give the mayor, it’s thought to give the city’s top elected official more control over the city’s budget and housing issues.
Toronto currently has a weak mayoral system, meaning the mayor is the top elected official, but still represents only one vote on council when it comes to most decision-making.
Ford said Wednesday that “we’ll get into the details later” when it comes to the specific powers to be granted, but said a two-thirds majority could override the mayor on the council.
The council’s motion highlights the fact that while the province may consider giving the mayor more autonomy, the provincial government still has much of the authority when it comes to big decisions.
For example, when Mayor John Tory wanted to pay for the Don Valley Parkway and Gardiner Expressway in order to bring in much-needed revenue several years ago, then-Premier Kathleen Wynne denied the request, as the province still has authority over Toronto’s roads.
In its motion, the council noted that stronger autonomy in the requested areas is a feature of many “strong mayor” systems in US cities.
Although the council asked the province on Thursday to give it more autonomy, it chose not to oppose a strong mayoral system, rejecting a motion by Council. Josh Matlow who would have asked the province not to implement the system.
THE BOARD OF COMMERCE SUPPORTS STRONGER MAYORAL POWERS
The Toronto Board of Trade also weighed in on the issue Thursday, indicating its support for giving the mayor stronger powers.
In a statement, the Toronto Region Board of Trade said it “welcomes the government’s action” to give Toronto stronger mayoral powers.
“Toronto faces numerous pressing challenges across the city, from housing, land use, transit, transportation, budget, economic development and climate,” the board said in its communicated “Effective and timely solutions require a city chief executive with clear authority to set an agenda, appoint senior City staff and present policy solutions to Council with greater influence over outcomes.”
The board of trade said it has advocated for stronger powers for Toronto’s mayor for nearly two decades and that the current consensus-based system “hurts businesses.”
“The current structure stifles Toronto’s growth, competitiveness and quality of life as one of North America’s largest urban metropolises, and hurts businesses,” the council said.
In a speech to the board of trade several weeks ago, Mayor John Tory laid out his vision for the city’s finances and said he is focused on economic recovery.
Tory, who is running for re-election in October, promised to assemble a volunteer panel of prominent leaders to advise him on the economic challenges facing Toronto as it continues to emerge from the pandemic.