Across the province, some municipalities are “declining” the strong mayor powers that came into effect on May 1.
Last week, municipal councils in Timmins, Stratford and Owen Sound voted to reject strong mayor powers.
Prior to that, mayors in Essex, Leamington, Lakeshore and LaSalle said they have no interest in having or using the strong mayor powers that were bestowed upon them and 165 other municipalities by the Ontario government last month.
Largely a symbolic act, their opposition means little. According to the legislation, no Ontario municipality can unilaterally decline strong mayor powers.
But that’s not stopping Springwater Township Deputy Mayor George Cabral.
He has a motion on Wednesday’s council agenda that calls for council to “oppose strong mayor powers and formally express its opposition to the Ontario government's expansion of the strong mayor powers to preserve local democracy, transparency and accountability.”
“To be frank, I really don't know exactly where I stand on the issue of strong mayor powers today, but on reading comments from some mayors who have just recently been granted these powers and questioning the need themselves, it certainly gives me pause to reflect on the matter,” Cabral told BarrieToday in an email when the Ontario government announced the introduction of strong mayor powers to the additional 169 municipalities in April.
“If everyone was happy with these powers, I suppose I would lean that way as well, but that doesn't seem to be the case and I do see some areas of general concern," he added.
A review of four letters attached to the motion — from the municipalities of Aylmer, Parry Sound, Greater Napanee and North Middlesex — illustrates the following concerns:
- the centralization of power, erosion of local democracy, reduced accountability and the potential for the abuse of power
- proposed expansion of strong mayor powers undermines the collaborative nature of municipal governance and diminishes the role of elected municipal councillors in representing the diverse interests of the community
- the negative impacts on public trust, democratic participation and municipal decision-making processes, if mayors are given the ability to bypass council decisions without adequate consultation or oversight
“Do I believe that our council will function differently now?” he asked rhetorically. “I most certainly do. The mayor has been granted these powers and I would expect, like most anything given to someone, they'll be used simply because they can.”
Cabral’s colleague on council, Coun. Brad Thompson, thinks giving Springwater Mayor Jennifer Coughlin strong mayor powers is long overdue.
He said based on the success the province has had with upper-tier municipalities having strong mayor powers, it was only a matter of time before it trickled down to lower tier municipalities like Springwater.
“I am sure our mayor will use her strong mayor powers judiciously and that other council members will adjust to this new model so that we can all get on side for the betterment of our community,” Thompson said. “I think, going forward, better data-driven decisions will be made.
“The strong-mayor model will prove to be extremely beneficial for our community as we progress towards our goals,” he added.
Cabral believes that if something isn’t broken, it doesn’t need to be repaired.
“I believe municipal councils have worked, and continue to work, in achieving outcomes through collaboration, consensus and through the vein of majority rule, a fundamental principle in a democratic system,” he said. “In our governmental system, the elected representative is expected to act on behalf of all constituents in their respective ward.”
Cabral added that it’s difficult to understand how the strong mayor powers, applicable to a broad scope of what would otherwise be considered either operational matters or decisions once debated and voted on by council as a whole, are not eroding municipal council authority, in order to expedite and accommodate questionably achievable goals.
“With great power comes great responsibility, and we've already just recently seen in the news locally what has been perceived by a municipal council as a misuse of strong mayor powers,” he said, referring to Orillia Mayor Don McIsaac, who used strong mayor powers — acquired to deal with the aftermath of the ice storm — to cancel council's recent decision to hire Trevor Lee as CAO and appoint Amanpreet Singh Sidhu, the city's current deputy CAO/solicitor, to the position.
“Additionally, one might even suggest that not all mayors are equipped to respect and properly use their strong mayor powers given that there are no specific qualifications required to be a mayor other than being eligible to vote in the municipality where you run and winning the election,” Cabral said.
Coughlin said she has not received any comments about strong mayor powers from local residents.
"Governing with integrity and determination will never change," she said.
Strong mayor powers were extended to Barrie Mayor Alex Nuttall in June 2023. He recently used those powers to have city staff prepare a bylaw to rezone 43-acre property for a manufacturing building on Lockhart Road, and to establish a conservation trust to protect the area around Little Lake.
Springwater Township council starts at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday.
