London, Ont., Mayor contender and current deputy mayor Josh Morgan is weighing in on Premier Doug Ford’s plan to give more power to the mayors of Ottawa and Toronto.
Ford’s move, first reported by the Toronto Star and confirmed by the premier himself on Wednesday, would increase the powers of the mayors of Ottawa and Toronto to operate as a “strong mayor” system.
In an interview with Global News, Morgan said he is “all in” for municipalities to have more influence over local decision-making, but believes elected councils can decide where local powers should be. how it should be distributed.
Morgan said, “There are certainly examples of mayors with extraordinary powers in America …
“What I would say is that we have no idea what exactly is being proposed by the Ford government here, so I guess we’ll have to wait and see what the details are.”
Under a typical “strong mayor” system, executive power is centralized with the mayor, who has control over department head appointments, oversees the budget, and is sometimes granted veto power.
Morgan said city councils already have the power to give the mayor additional powers. For example, he said, the mayor can already appoint a deputy mayor and budget president, which have to be ratified by the council—powers that are delegated to the mayor by the council.
“Nothing can stop a local council from deciding how it wants to distribute its power among its members, including the mayor. Without knowing what is being proposed here, it is very difficult to comment on it,” Morgan said.
“I’m for more local decision making, but I think elected councils in the province of Ontario can decide how it should be distributed.”
Morgan wants to replace Mayor Ed Holder in the upcoming municipal election. Voters across the province will vote on October 24.
Premier Ford said on Wednesday that his government plans to implement the system ahead of the election.
“I think the mayor of Toronto or Ottawa, or any mayor, they are accountable for everything, but they have the same vote as another councillor,” Ford said.
When asked about mayoral veto power, Ford replied that more details would come later, but said that two-thirds of city councilors would be able to override the mayoral veto.
Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Steve Clark said the province was “still consulting” whether such a system should be expanded to other urban centers beyond Toronto and Ottawa.
Speaking with Global News, Joseph Lyons, assistant professor and director of the local government program at Western University, said a “strong mayor” system as being described for Ottawa and Toronto would be a first in Canada.
“Nowhere in Canada do mayors have the same ‘strong mayoral’ powers as some mayors in the US. It looks like it’s going to go somewhere we have in Canada as well,” he said in Montreal, Toronto and Winnipeg. Referring to executive policy committees, he said.
“It was really a decision made by the province without consulting the municipalities. From what I can read, there was some discussion about it, but there was really no formal consultation process – which was a () between the province and the municipalities. Memorandum of Understanding) and how things are supposed to work technically.”
The potential turmoil in Toronto and Ottawa city halls reflects a controversial move by Ford in 2018, when he cut the size of the Toronto city council from 47 council seats to 25 before the final round of local elections, giving them federal riding. aligned with.
At the time, Ford, who previously served on Toronto’s council and lost a bid for the mayor’s office, argued that the change would streamline the council’s operations and save $25 million. Doug’s brother, Rob Ford, served as the mayor of Toronto from 2010 to 2014.
Toronto Mayor John Tory, who is seeking re-election, signaled his support for such a system on Wednesday, saying he had previously said he was also in favor of a “stronger mayoral” structure. .
“Having this implied in the law allows voters to know a little more clarity in the matter of what kind of powers they might expect a person holding the office of mayor to actually have. If this council tax If it was, it would be after the election,” Lyons said.
“Many people think that mayors have more power than they actually do. So giving them more power would, perhaps, be a better reflection of people’s perceptions.
“Even from the US, we see that strong mayoral systems have higher voter turnout rates, for example, because people know when they are casting their vote for mayor there is more at stake.”
Legislation involving “strong mayor” powers is expected to be introduced in a few weeks. The Ontario legislature is currently on summer vacation, but will return for a rare summer meeting beginning August 8.
A source told Global News that the scope of the legislation is still being finalized and that no formal cabinet talks have taken place.
The opposition New Democrats questioned the timing of such a move, saying it was a “wrong priority” to make such an arrangement.
— With files from The Canadian Press, and Isaac Colon and Colin D’Amello of Global News
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