The Ford government is facing calls to overhaul the strong mayor system in Ontario, after municipal civil servants raised concerns about the powers being used to blur political lines and a lack of impact on housing construction in the province.

Premier Doug Ford first introduced the law in 2022, allowing a mayor to appoint the city’s Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), craft the city budget and re-organize the structure of the municipality – without prior approval of city council.

Since then, the powers have been extended to a total of 216 municipalities across the province, with the expectation that mayors would be able to overcome council hurdles while fast-tracking housing and infrastructure development.

“By extending strong mayor powers to these additional municipalities, we are pro

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