Kimberley Kitteringham, City Clerk, addressed the Committee to make opening remarks and introduced Joseph Silva, Treasurer, and Michael Toshakovski, Deputy City Solicitor, who jointly presented and responded to inquiries in relation to the Strong Mayor Powers presentation. The presentation included an overview of contextual information related to the legislative, administrative and financial aspects of Strong Mayor Powers.
The Committee thanked Ms. Kitteringham and staff for attending the meeting and the information that was provided.
The Committee made the following inquiries:
- The communication process associated with mayoral decisions to members of council and the public;
- Whether there are conditions to maintain Strong Mayor Powers, such as adhering to the housing target pledge that was committed to in order to obtain the Strong Mayor Powers;
- The lengths that the Strong Mayor Powers extend to;
- The definition of provincial priorities and how projects are deemed to be a provincial priority;
- The process in which a veto can be made and if it has to be done in public;
- Whether decisions made by 1/3 of council are appealable by the Ontario Land Tribunal;
- The impact of Strong Mayor Powers in conjunction with the expectation that municipalities need to meet growth targets with a decrease in Development Charges;
- The level of detail that will be contained in the budget and how it may differ from previous budgets;
- The timing related to when council and the public may review the budget document and how amendments may be made;
- Concerns about the concentration of power in one person’s hands and the potential elimination of public debate on certain matters; and,
- The way in which housing targets are measured.
Staff responded to the inquiries and noted that Strong Mayor Powers are intended to eliminate barriers that prevent the advancement of a municipality and their use has to have a link to a provincial priority. It was further indicated that the veto power is not overarching and cannot change existing zoning.