Does the mayor of Toronto need more power? Maybe. Does the city? Definitely
There he goes again. For the second straight time, Ontario Premier Doug Ford is springing a surprise makeover on Toronto’s municipal government, one that will come into effect in the middle of the city’s ongoing election campaign.
that upheld Queen’s Park’s ability to change Toronto’s ward boundaries, or anything else, on a whim. As the court said, the Constitution gives provinces the “absolute and unfettered legal power to legislate with respect to municipalities.” The strong mayor system is used in many cities around the world. It is not in and of itself a good or bad thing. Much depends on other factors – including who is elected to the job.
When in 2016 the current mayor, John Tory, wanted to impose tolls on the Gardiner Expressway and the Don Valley Parkway – provincial highways whose hefty costs were downloaded onto the city by the province – the premier of the day said no.