Ontario to build on ‘strong mayor’ system by appointing ‘strong’ regional chairs

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Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s government proposed Thursday to directly appoint a slate of regional council chairs and give them greater authority, which critics say is part of a trend of the government consolidating power.

Legislation tabled by Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Rob Flack would allow him to appoint chairs in eight regions and counties and arm them with so-called “strong chair powers,” similar to strong mayor powers the government has doled out to more than 200 mayors and heads of council.

The bill is aimed at faster municipal decision-making, fiscal responsibility, and aligning municipalities with provincial ones, the government said. The rest of the regional councils will still consist of elected municipal officials, Flack said.

“By appointing a chair – and it’s worked in York, and it’s worked in Peel – what we’re seeing is making sure they’re in sync with what we’re trying to do in the province,” Flack said at a press conference.

“I see (the strong chairs) more or less as a chair of the board, so the directors will be the elected officials. Democracy is alive and well.”  

Opposition critics said the move is fundamentally anti-democratic, similar to the provincial takeover of eight school boards.

“It’s a pattern,” said interim Liberal leader John Fraser. “It’s about consolidating power.”

The NDP said Ford is intent on inserting himself into municipal issues.

“This is about Doug Ford doing anything he can to try and control local democracy and take it out of the hands of local decision-makers and take power away from people to control their own local municipalities,” critic Jeff Burch said.

The tabling of the bill follows an unsuccessful push by Niagara Region’s now-former chair to consider amalgamating municipalities in the area, something Ford has said he personally supports.

The mayors of the largest cities in the region have said they support amalgamation, but a majority of the 12 Niagara mayors did not, which was a bar Ford set for moving ahead.

The legislation would also allow Flack to implement weighted voting at Niagara Regional council and cut the size of that council from 32 to 13 members. The size of Simcoe County council would also be cut, from 32 to 17 members. The appointed chairs’ additional powers would include appointing or firing the chief administrative officer and division heads, directing staff, vetoing certain bylaws and proposing the municipal budget.

Chairs in York and Peel are already appointed, and Flack now says he will also appoint the regional chairs in Durham, Halton, Muskoka, Waterloo and Simcoe County.

Flack is already in the midst of searching for a new person to appoint as Niagara regional chair, since Bob Gale resigned last month after anti-racism groups in Niagara demanded he apologize for owning a signed copy of Adolf Hitler’s infamous manifesto, “Mein Kampf.” 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 2, 2026.

Allison Jones, The Canadian Press