Ontario Premier Doug Ford said Monday he’s planning to expand so-called strong mayor powers to municipalities other than Toronto and Ottawa as a way to get more housing built.
Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Steve Clark introduced the legislation last week that would give the mayors of Ontario’s two largest cities veto powers over bylaws that conflict with provincial priorities, such as building housing.
Speaking at the Association of Municipalities Ontario annual conference in Ottawa, Ford said the legislation will provide those mayors with additional tools to advance those provincial priorities.
“Building more homes is at the top of the list,” he said. “In the coming months, we’ll have more information on how these tools will be expanded to other municipalities so more municipal leaders like yourselves can help build Ontario.”…