Expansion will help municipalities deliver on provincial priorities like building homes and infrastructure
TORONTO — Ontario is proposing to expand strong mayor powers to the heads of council in 169 additional municipalities effective May 1, 2025 to help deliver on provincial priorities, such as building more homes, transit and other infrastructure across Ontario.
This significant expansion reflects Ontario’s commitment to streamline local governance and help ensure municipalities have the tools they need to reduce obstacles that can stand in the way of new housing and infrastructure development. The powers would allow heads of council of single- and lower-tier municipalities with councils of six members or more to support shared provincial-municipal priorities, such as encouraging the approval of new housing and constructing and maintaining infrastructure to support housing, including roads and transit.
“Heads of Council are key partners in our efforts to build homes and infrastructure across the province,” said Rob Flack, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. “By extending strong mayor powers to these additional municipalities, we are providing mayors every tool at our disposal to empower them to get homes and infrastructure built faster. Mayors know their municipalities best, and we support them in taking bold actions for their communities.”
Ontario’s strong mayor powers, initially introduced for Toronto and Ottawa in 2022, have been gradually rolled out across the province. The province currently has 47 municipalities with these enhanced powers, which have helped to cut red tape and accelerate the delivery of key priorities in their communities. These enhanced powers come with increased accountability for heads of council and maintain essential checks and balances through the oversight of councillors.
Strong mayor powers and duties include:
- Choosing to appoint the municipality’s chief administrative officer.
- Hiring certain municipal department heads and establishing and re-organizing departments.
- Creating committees of council, assigning their functions and appointing the chairs and vice-chairs of committees of council.
- Proposing the municipal budget, which would be subject to council amendments and a separate head of council veto and council override process.
- Proposing certain municipal by-laws if the mayor is of the opinion that the proposed by-law could potentially advance a provincial priority identified in regulation. Council can pass these by-laws if more than one-third of all council members vote in favour.
- Vetoing certain by-laws if the head of council is of the opinion that all or part of the by-law could potentially interfere with a provincial priority.
- Bringing forward matters for council consideration if the head of council is of the opinion that considering the matter could potentially advance a provincial priority.
“As one of Canada’s fastest growing cities, Pickering is proud to have received over $5.2M in funding from Ontario’s Building Faster Fund for exceeding its provincial housing target., said Kevin Ashe
Mayor of Pickering. “We have a collective responsibility in addressing this housing crisis, and I thank the Ford government for introducing strong mayor powers, which provides municipalities the autonomy and ability to streamline and accelerate the home building process,” said Ashe.
Proposed additional Ontario municipalities to receive strong mayor powers
The heads of council of the following municipalities would get access to strong mayor powers effective May 1, 2025:
- Township of Adjala-Tosorontio
- Town of Amherstburg
- Town of Arnprior
- Municipality of Arran-Elderslie
- Township of Ashfield-Colborne-Wawanosh
- Township of Athens
- Town of Atikokan
- Town of Aylmer
- Town of Bancroft
- Township of Black River-Matheson
- Town of Blind River
- Municipality of Bluewater
- Town of Bracebridge
- County of Brant
- Municipality of Brighton
- Township of Brock
- Municipality of Brockton
- City of Brockville
- Town of Carleton Place
- Municipality of Central Elgin
- Township of Central Frontenac
- Municipality of Central Huron
- Municipality of Central Manitoulin
- Township of Centre Wellington
- Township of Champlain
- City of Clarence-Rockland
- Township of Clearview
- Town of Cobalt
- Town of Cobourg
- Town of Cochrane
- Town of Collingwood
- City of Cornwall
- Town of Deep River
- City of Dryden
- United Townships of Dysart, Dudley, Harcourt, Guilford, Harburn, Bruton, Havelock, Eyre and Clyde
- Township of East Zorra-Tavistock
- Township of Elizabethtown-Kitley
- City of Elliot Lake
- Town of Englehart
- Town of Espanola
- Town of Essex
- Town of Fort Erie
- Town of Fort Frances
- Municipality of French River
- Town of Gananoque
- Township of Georgian Bay
- Township of Georgian Bluffs
- Town of Goderich
- Town of Gore Bay
- Town of Gravenhurst
- Town of Greater Napanee
- Municipality of Greenstone
- Municipality of Grey Highlands
- Town of Grimsby
- Town of Hanover
- Municipality of Hastings Highlands
- Town of Hawkesbury
- Town of Hearst
- Town of Huntsville
- Municipality of Huron East
- Municipality of Huron Shores
- Township of Huron-Kinloss
- Town of Ingersoll
- Town of Iroquois Falls
- Town of Kapuskasing
- City of Kenora
- Township of Killaloe, Hagarty & Richards
- Municipality of Killarney
- Municipality of Kincardine
- Township of King
- Town of Kingsville
- Town of Kirkland Lake
- Township of Lake of Bays
- Municipality of Lakeshore
- Municipality of Lambton Shores
- Township of Lanark Highlands
- Town of LaSalle
- Town of Latchford
- Township of Laurentian Valley
- Municipality of Leamington
- Township of Leeds and the Thousand Islands
- Town of Lincoln
- Loyalist Township
- Township of Malahide
- Town of Mattawa
- Municipality of Meaford
- Municipality of Middlesex Centre
- Town of Midland
- Township of Minden Hills
- Town of Minto
- Municipality of Mississippi Mills
- Township of Muskoka Lakes
- The Nation Municipality
- Municipality of Neebing
- Town of New Tecumseth
- Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake
- Norfolk County
- Township of North Frontenac
- Township of North Glengarry
- Township of North Huron
- Municipality of North Middlesex
- Municipality of North Perth
- Town of Northeastern Manitoulin and the Islands
- Town of Orangeville
- City of Orillia*
- Township of Oro-Medonte
- City of Owen Sound
- Town of Parry Sound
- Town of Pelham
- City of Pembroke
- Town of Penetanguishene
- Town of Perth
- Township of Perth East
- Township of Perth South
- Town of Petawawa
- Town of Petrolia
- Town of Plympton-Wyoming
- City of Port Colborne
- Municipality of Port Hope
- Town of Prescott
- County of Prince Edward
- City of Quinte West
- Town of Rainy River
- Township of Ramara
- Town of Renfrew
- Township of Rideau Lakes
- Township of Sables-Spanish Rivers
- Town of Saugeen Shores
- Township of Scugog
- Township of Seguin
- Township of Severn
- Town of Shelburne
- Municipality of Sioux Lookout
- Town of Smiths Falls
- Township of South Algonquin
- Municipality of South Bruce
- Township of South Frontenac
- Municipality of South Huron
- Township of Southgate
- Municipality of Southwest Middlesex
- Township of South-West Oxford
- Township of Springwater
- Township of St. Clair
- Town of St. Marys
- City of St. Thomas
- Township of Stone Mills
- City of Stratford
- Municipality of Strathroy-Caradoc
- Township of Tay
- Tay Valley Township
- Town of Tecumseh
- Municipality of Temagami
- City of Temiskaming Shores
- Township of The Archipelago
- Town of The Blue Mountains
- Town of Thessalon
- City of Thorold
- Town of Tillsonburg
- City of Timmins
- Municipality of Trent Hills
- Township of Uxbridge
- Town of Wasaga Beach
- Municipality of West Grey
- Township of West Lincoln
- Municipality of West Nipissing
- Municipality of West Perth
- Township of Whitewater Region
- Township of Wilmot
- Township of Woolwich
Quick Facts
- Strong mayor powers have been used across the province to support the building of more homes. For example, they have been used to facilitate a new housing complex near transit in Ajax and to direct staff in St. Catharines to prioritize housing developments.
- Certain strong mayor powers can only be used to support prescribed provincial priorities, which include building new homes and constructing and maintaining infrastructure like roads that support new and existing housing developments.
- This tool complements historic and ongoing investments in housing-enabling infrastructure and the new Provincial Planning Statement that helps municipalities support growth by reducing and streamlining planning rules.
- The proposal will be posted on Ontario’s Regulatory Registry until April 16, 2025.