Northeastern Ontario municipalities vow not to use strong mayor powers given by province

Aya Dufour · CBC

· Posted: May 08, 2025 6:44 AM EDT | Last Updated: 8 minutes ago

Strong politician powers were not an point connected the docket of the Federation of Northern Ontario Municipalities league this week, but it decidedly came up successful betwixt sessions, according to Blind River Mayor Sally Hagman. 

"It comes up implicit the java array oregon during the evening meal," she said. 

"All of america are successful a akin position. Thanks to the state for offering this, but we're good." 

On May 1, the state expanded the "strong mayor" powers to 169 municipalities, astir 20 of them successful the northeast. 

The Ford authorities says the expanded authorization is meant to assistance present connected provincial priorities, specified arsenic gathering much homes, transit and infrastructure. 

Strong mayors tin unilaterally fire main administrative officers and section heads, re-organize departments, suggest municipal budgets and veto amendments and bylaws, among different things. 

But respective northeastern municipalities are joining the database of Ontario cities and towns rejecting the policy, with immoderate of them passing motions asking to beryllium removed from the mayoral powers database altogether.

Concerns implicit democracy, relation of section council

"You are arsenic beardown arsenic your assembly and for that crushed I won't beryllium exercising my beardown politician powers," said Hagman. "A antiauthoritarian ballot of 7 radical appears to work." 

She says it's the benignant of authorization that could sow division within the assembly chambers and that councillors "would walk, depending connected the circumstances."

The caput of assembly successful Cobalt besides worries astir what this could mean for the antiauthoritarian process. 

"It's expected to beryllium 1 ballot astir the array for everybody," said Mayor Angela Adshead. 

"You springiness 1 idiosyncratic the powerfulness to veto anything, that's going to discourage radical from moving for council."

Adshead is besides acrophobic with imaginable lawsuits, having had a vocation successful quality resources. 

"It's precise casual to make a wrongful dismissal suit, which tin outgo a batch of money," she said. "The ratepayers are yet going to wage the terms for that." 

The beardown politician powers bash see an immunity clause, but Adshead isn't convinced that it volition beryllium capable to support cases retired of the courtroom. 

One politician voices enactment for policy

Cochrane Mayor Peter Politis says helium understands the concerns being expressed by his peers, but helium could spot however the expanded authorization could travel successful useful to interruption gridlocks astatine the assembly table.

"I similar to look astatine it from the position of what happens erstwhile it's successful the close hands, arsenic opposed to what happens if it's successful the incorrect hands," helium said. 

"Any politician would person to beryllium very, precise cautious connected however they workout this benignant of authority." 

Politis says beardown politician powers could assistance expedite projects, citing the caller organizational restructuring astatine the town. 

He says if helium had this expanded authorization then, the process would've taken a period alternatively of nine.

"There was a batch of unnecessary compromise," helium said. 

Still, Politis says helium doesn't spot immoderate circumstances that would warrant him utilizing beardown politician powers successful the adjacent future.

Northern mayors who obtained 'strong' powers successful 2023 person yet to usage them

North Bay Mayor Peter Chirico says that, technically, helium utilized his beardown politician powerfulness to delegate the authorization backmost to the city's main administrative officer. 

"Sometimes you person to bash the nonstop other of what the authorities says wrong the authorities to marque definite everybody is covered off," helium said with a laugh. 

He says determination hasn't been a azygous clip successful the past 2 years wherever he's thought astir utilizing beardown politician powers.

"We person a tremendous assembly that looks to marque things hap successful our city, and beardown politician powers could override what they're each trying to do," helium said. 

"I don't privation to marque a determination of one… I privation a determination of each eleven of us." 

Mayors successful Greater Sudbury and Sault Ste. Marie person besides publically stated they person nary volition of utilizing their expanded authority.