A week after passing a bill that will slash the number of Toronto city council seats by nearly half, Ontario Premier Doug Ford told the province’s municipal leaders on Monday in Ottawa that the PC government does not plan to table similar legislation changing the makeup of their councils.
In a keynote address to delegates at the annual conference of the Association of Municipalities Ontario (AMO), Ford said he “occasionally” gets asked whether the new government at Queen’s Park will do to other local governments – like Ottawa – what it did to Toronto.
Ford called his move to cut the number of Toronto council seats from 47 to 25 and to eliminate elected chair positions in the Peel, York, Niagara and Muskoka regions “unique situations.”
“No, we do not – I repeat, we do not – have plans for similar legislation in our future,” Ford told conference-goers in his speech.
The AMO conference will run at the Shaw Centre in downtown Ottawa until Wednesday afternoon.
Ford’s comments come the same day Toronto city councillors are debating the legal options available to challenge Ford’s bill – known as Bill 5, or the Better Local Government Act.
In an earlier address to AMO conference goers, Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath blasted Ford’s track record so far – including his changes to Toronto ward boundaries while the municipal election campaign is underway.
She said Ford’s unilateral decision – which he made without conducting any prior public consultation – shows a “fundamental disrespect” for local councils.
The leader of the Official Opposition announced the NDP plans to table legislation in the fall that, if passed, would require Queen’s Park to engage in a consultation period and to obtain the approval of local governments before changing the makeup of those municipal bodies.
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Horwath told reporters that she couldn’t provide additional details about the proposed legislation – but said her team is working on a draft of the bill right now.
“I think it sends a chill down the spines of the municipal leaders here at the AMO conference when they see a premier – that for personal, political reasons in order to fulfill vendettas against political foes of the post – he, with one broad stroke, takes away the democratic rights, not only of the people of Toronto in terms of their council, but of these other councils as well,” Horwath said.
Outgoing AMO president Lynn Dollin told reporters earlier Monday morning that the association hasn’t heard “many concerns” yet from other mayors and municipal officials about the fate of their councils.
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Ford had previously suggested he had no intention of cutting council seats in Ottawa.
In his speech, the premier pledged to “work hard” with Ontario’s municipal governments moving forward. He said local leaders could “count” on the PC government to consult with them about their priorities.
“I am a huge believer in having an honest and open dialogue with municipalities,” he said.
Dollin told reporters this week’s AMO conference will be the first opportunity for many elected officials from Ontario’s smaller municipalities to have face-to-face time with Progressive Conservative ministers and officials since the new provincial government was sworn in.
The AMO is a non-profit organization representing nearly all of Ontario’s 444 civic councils. The city of Toronto is not a member of the AMO.
Cannabis legalization, housing affordability and support for immigrants and refugees are expected to be key topics of discussion at the conference.
John Fraser, interim leader of the Ontario Liberal Party, and Ontario Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner are also scheduled to address delegates on Monday.
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