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Orangeville council lobbies against strong mayor powers

May 22, 2025   ·   0 Comments

By JAMES MATTHEWS

Orangeville Mayor Lisa Post wants nothing to do with the so-called provincial strong mayor powers.

In fact, she hopes the crowd at Queen’s Park will see fit to rescind it completely. And her council colleagues support her request to the provincial government.

Strong mayor power legislation was expanded to include Orangeville as of May 1 to help deliver on provincial priorities such as building more homes, transit, and other infrastructure.

That’s when the province expanded the catchment of the strong mayor powers to include 169 more municipalities than the initial number when introduced in 2022.

Provincial priorities include putting up 1.5 million new residential houses by December 2031 and the required infrastructure to support new housing.

Post said municipalities have committed to try to alleviate the housing crisis by way of local planning approvals and community-led solutions. But the strong mayor powers alter local democratic governance by concentrating decision-making authority into a single individual. That weakens the role of elected councils and goes against collaboration and shared leadership.

The strong mayor powers give a mayor the ability to veto certain bylaws passed by the elected council. The mayor would have the power to solely appoint a CAO and to appoint and remove managers at any level.

Mayors will be able to modify and establish a municipality’s organizational structure, the mandates of committees, and the appointment of chairs and vice-chairs on committees and boards.

It gives them the authority to direct employees to undertake research and provide advice to the mayor, and the municipality, and to carry out duties to implement those decisions, including those of the mayor.

The provincial government’s move creates uncertainty within municipal organizations, impacts staff morale, and risks eroding the trust that underpins effective municipal governance, Post said.

There is currently no oversight to ensure Strong Mayor Powers are being used appropriately and as intended, she said. The legislation itself has been described by some as open to interpretation. And that’s a fundamental flaw in the responsible application of these potentially dangerous powers.

“The primary barriers to housing construction are not rooted in municipal decision-making processes, but in broader market conditions, infrastructure constraints, and the lack of effective provincial and federal policy supports to stimulate affordable and attainable housing development,” Post said.

Councillor Debbie Sherwood applauded Post for her stand.

“Thank you for respecting the democratic process and you have the utmost respect for us as councillors and staff,” Sherwood said. 

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