Category: Strong Mayor Powers

The Made-in-Canada Housing Crisis Ontario’s housing crisis - and the introduction of Strong Mayor Powers (SMPs) - did not emerge overnight. They are the product of decades of federal and provincial policy choices. Beginning in the 1980s, the federal government steadily reduced its role in social housing. In 1993, it ended funding for new social … Continue reading Strong Mayor Powers – The Backstory

Second in a Four-Part Series Municipal governance in Ontario entered a new era under the Strong Mayors, Building Homes Act.2022 A mayor now holds a suite of executive-style tools more commonly associated with corporate leadership than with council chambers. These powers include shaping and tabling the municipal budget, vetoing certain council decisions, requiring a supermajority … Continue reading Strong Mayor Powers – How They Actually Work

Third in a Four-Part Series Introduction The first article in this series examined how strong mayor powers were introduced. The second explored how they function in practice. This instalment explores: what do Ontario’s leading municipal institutions and professional bodies actually think of them? Some of the answers are neither simple nor flattering Across academic, administrative, … Continue reading Strong Mayor Powers: The Institutional Verdict

The Fourth and Final Instalment of the Series It Started with the Housing Pledge: On March 21, 2023, Burlington signed the province’s housing pledge, committing to facilitate the construction of 29,000 new homes by 2031. That target would require the city to average 3,625 housing units per year over eight years. At the time, Burlington … Continue reading Opinion – Strong Mayor Powers – A Burlington Case Study