Perth, Ont. council votes to ask province to remove it from ‘strong mayor’ list

The mayor and councillors for the Town of Perth, Ont. for 2023 to 2026. (Perth.ca)

Councillors for the Town of Perth, Ont. have voted unanimously to ask the provincial government to remove their town from the list of municipalities in line to get “strong mayor” powers.

Last week, Premier Doug Ford announced the mayors of 169 municipalities in Ontario would get access to the enhanced powers starting May 1, which were first given to Toronto and Ottawa in 2022.

A special council meeting was held in Perth Monday morning to discuss the town’s options. It could refuse to implement the powers and notify the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, ask the ministry to remove Perth from the list, provide no comment, or accept the proposed legislation and direct staff to work on implementation.

Ultimately, councillors voted to request the ministry exclude Perth from the 169 municipalities set to receive the powers.

“Strong mayor” powers give the mayors of municipalities in Ontario greater authority over the municipal budget, in choosing the municipality’s chief administrative officer, and the ability to veto certain bylaws or pass bylaws with a lower threshold of votes if the bylaw advances provincial priorities, such as housing.

“I was shocked when this came forward — that a small town like ours would be given Strong Mayor capability,” said Mayor Judy Brown in a news release from the Town of Perth. “While there may be rare situations where this kind of authority could be useful, such as breaking a deadlock, the potential for abuse far outweighs any benefits. That’s already been seen in other communities. I would not support the idea of having these powers.”

Some mayors have used the powers, including Andrea Horwath in Hamilton and Bonnie Crombie in Mississauga. Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe promised never to use them when he ran for office in 2022.

Councillors in Perth said they had concerns about the risk of concentrating power in the mayor’s office.

“I just see this whole thing being problematic,” Coun. Isabel Anne McRae said. “The greater question is their need to want us to advance provincial priorities. I guess my question is at what expense? At the expense of our town, of our community?”

Coun. Gary Waterfield called the strong mayor powers “repulsive legislation” and “an affront to democracy” in a prepared statement he made.

“The strong mayor legislation is an insult to our hardworking, professional staff, all citizens of our town of Perth, and all citizens of our province of Ontario,” he said.

The Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing is accepting public comments on the proposed regulatory amendment until Wednesday.

Some municipalities in Ontario, including Orillia and in Essex County near Windsor, have come out against being given the powers since Ford announced the sweeping changes.

With files from The Canadian Press