Ontario is proposing to give the mayors of Toronto and Ottawa veto power over bylaws that conflict with the province’s priorities, such as housing development.
Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Steve Clark introduced the legislation on Wednesday, saying the powers were being given to towns and cities most urgently in need of new housing and which were “shovel ready”.
“The reality is that over a third of the growth over the next decade will come in the cities of Toronto and Ottawa,” Clark said at a news conference.
“Our government must support efficient local decision-making to accelerate development timelines. We are counting on municipalities to cut red tape and build homes faster so more families can realize their dream of home ownership.”
The bill would allow the mayors of those two cities to override council approval of a bylaw, such as a zoning bylaw, that would preempt a set of provincial priorities that would be laid out later in the regulations.
But examples of priorities government officials have given include a goal of building 1.5 million homes over 10 years and building critical infrastructure.
Ford has adopted a target of building 1.5 million homes over 10 years, a target recommended by a government-commissioned housing taskforce report earlier this year. (Jane Robertson/CBC)
A council can override a mayor’s veto with a two-thirds majority.
The legislation would also give mayors responsibility for drafting and submitting the city budget instead of the council, appointing the chief administrative officer, and hiring and firing department heads, except for statutory appointments such as auditor general, police chief or fire chief.
The mayors of Toronto and Ottawa are at odds
Toronto Mayor John Tory said he would review the legislation but that he supports the idea.
“I always want to make sure City Hall runs more efficiently and effectively for Toronto residents and businesses and that we make things as easy as possible, and that’s what I’ll be looking for as I read the proposed legislation,” he said in a written statement.
But in Ottawa, the reception was quite different.
Mayor Jim Watson, who is not running for re-election, said Ottawa does not need those powers, nor has he asked for them.
Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson says he doesn’t need the new powers, nor does he understand how they will help him build more housing. (Francis Ferland/CBC)
“I don’t quite see how giving more powers will help me build more houses,” he said in an interview.
“We need more money from the province because houses cost money and we need more flexibility in the rules, such as inclusionary zoning, which allows more density in certain areas.”
Ottawa mayoral candidates Catherine McKenney and Mark Sutcliffe said the city does not need a “strong mayor.”
More cities may be added later
Mayors of other major cities have expressed interest in similar powers, and Clark left the door open to adding more municipalities to the legislation at a later date.
“My message to other municipalities outside of Toronto and Ottawa is that you should be able to have shovels in the ground,” he said. “You have to commit to growth and cutting red tape.”
The Ontario Real Estate Association said the strong mayoral legislation is a “good step” but would like to expand it beyond Toronto and Ottawa.
“More can still be done to address the existing housing affordability crisis, including ending exclusionary zoning in Ontario’s most sought-after urban neighborhoods, which would allow duplexes, triplexes and quadruplexes to be built on lots traditionally zoned for single-family housing ,” CEO Tim Hudak wrote in a statement.
Ford did not indicate during the recent campaign that he planned to introduce such legislation.
Legislation ‘attack on local democracy’: critics
The NDP and Greens said it meant Ford was meddling in municipal politics just ahead of the municipal elections in October.
“Doug Ford’s second term as premier begins the same way his first did – with another attack on local democracy and the people of Toronto and Ottawa,” Green Party leader Mike Schreiner said in a statement, referring to Ford’s 2018 move to reduce the size of Toronto council.
“This time it comes disguised as a strategy to solve the housing crisis in the province.”
The legislation comes after Clark previously suggested that his efforts to take major steps to increase housing supply were being stymied by municipalities.
The government passed legislation in the spring to streamline approval processes in an effort to increase housing supply, but it lacked key measures that advocates and experts have long pushed for, including changing municipal zoning rules to allow more types of construction. dwellings other than single-family houses.
Home prices in Ontario have nearly tripled over the past 10 years, far outpacing income growth. (Esteban Cuevas/CBC)
Mr Clarke said at the time that this was because councils were not involved, saying local councils were often “vehemently opposed” to the kinds of reforms he wanted to propose.
Home prices in Ontario have nearly tripled in the past 10 years, far outpacing income growth, a government-commissioned task force report said last year, but the province has 1.2 million homes, both rentals and owned – below the G-7 average.
Clark also announced a Housing Supply Action Plan Implementation Team to address the task force’s recommendations. The minister said he would appoint Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens as chair and Cheryl Fort, Mayor of the City of Hornepain, as deputy chair and appoint other members at a later date.
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