Ontario Premier to cancel regional chair elections in Peel, Muskoka and York Region

Ontario Premier Doug Ford applauds as Lt.-Gov. Elizabeth Dowdeswell delivers the speech from the throne to open the new legislative session at the Ontario Legislature at Queen's Park in Toronto on Thursday, June 12, 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS / Frank Gunn

Ontario Premier to cancel regional chair elections in Peel, Muskoka and York Region

Premier Doug Ford announced Monday morning he plans to cancel planned elections for regional chair positions in Peel, Muskoka and York Region.

Former Ontario Progressive Conservative leader Patrick Brown, whose resignation this winter paved the way for Ford to take over the party, intended to run for the Peel seat. Brown announced on Friday he now intends to run in the race for mayor of Brampton.

Former Liberal cabinet minister Steven Del Duca intended to run for the regional chair position in York Region.

The regions would instead revert to an appointment process for the chair positions, that was in effect prior to 2016.

Ford also announced he plans to significantly reduce the number of Toronto city councillors, cutting the number of seats from  47 to 25, aligning city wards with federal ridings.

Ford says having fewer city councillors "will dramatically improve the decision-making process at Toronto City Hall" and save taxpayers $25 million.

Asked why he didn't campaign on the plan or hold public consultations on it, Ford said he heard from thousands of people while canvassing this spring that they want a smaller government.

Toronto Mayor John Tory, who said in a news conference earlier Friday morning that the process around the plan is "absolutely not right." The mayor said he'll propose a referendum on the issue.

"This is a gigantic decision about the future of Toronto," Tory said. "What we don't need and what I just can't support is change being rammed down our throats without a single second of public consultation."

Some councillors echoed Tory's opposition to the provincial plan and said they hoped the mayor would push back.

Calling Ford's plan "an affront to our democracy," Coun. Kristyn Wong-Tam urged the mayor to challenge it in the courts.

"I think the mayor needs to defend our city and our democracy and that's what I'm looking for from him," she said.

Coun. John Campbell said slashing council nearly in half would reduce oversight of municipal boards and commissions.

"If you reduce councillors to 25, all of a sudden you lose that connection with the electorate and in the end the public is the loser, and they're going to feel it right away," he said

The deadline for candidates to register for the municipal election was Friday afternoon but the government said it will extend that to September.

***With files from The Canadian Press***