Better Municipal Governance Act
| Better Municipal Governance Act | |
|---|---|
| |
| Citation | S.O. 2024, c. 16 |
| Assented to | December 8, 2022 |
| Legislative history | |
| Bill citation | Bill 39 |
| Introduced by | Steve Clark MPP, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing |
| First reading | November 16, 2022 |
| Second reading | November 23, 2022 |
| Third reading | December 8, 2022 |
| Status: Current legislation | |
The Better Municipal Governance Act, 2022 (French: Loi de 2022 visant à améliorer la gouvernance municipale) is an act of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario with the goal of improving municipal governance.
Background
Mayor of Toronto John Tory had requested the ability to enact bylaws with only one third of support of council.[1]
Provisions
The legislation allows the mayors of Toronto and Ottawa to enact bylaws in support of the priorities of the provincial government with the support of one third of council.[2][3]
The legislation also allows the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing to appoint, by order, for the term of office starting in 2022, the regional chairs of the Regional Municipalities of Niagara, Peel, and York.[2]
The Duffins Rouge Agricultural Preserve Act, 2005 was also repealed, which required that the Duffins Rouge Agricultural Preserve is only used for agriculture.[4]
Reception
The provincial Green Party criticized the legislation, describing its third reading as "the day the majority party in the Ontario legislature voted for minority rule".[5]
Further developments
Mayor of Ottawa Mark Sutcliffe said that he would not make use of the powers relating to provincial priority bylaws.[3] Tory said he would use these powers in a limited way.[3]
References
- ^ Chianello, Joanne (November 19, 2022). "2022-11-19". CBC News. Archived from the original on March 20, 2023. Retrieved July 16, 2025.
- ^ a b Artuso, Antonella (October 16, 2022). "New housing bill would change municipal governance in GTA". Toronto Sun. Archived from the original on November 16, 2022. Retrieved July 16, 2025.
- ^ a b c Crawford, Blair (November 23, 2022). "Q&A with Ontario's associate housing minister on the province's controversial 'strong mayors' act". Ottawa Citizen. Archived from the original on November 22, 2022. Retrieved July 16, 2025.
- ^ McConnell, Liam (December 6, 2022). "Ontario set to remove protections for Pickering's Duffins Rouge Preserve". InDurham. Archived from the original on June 23, 2024. Retrieved July 16, 2025.
- ^ "Ontario passes law boosting 'strong mayor' powers in Toronto, Ottawa". CBC News. December 8, 2022. Archived from the original on June 19, 2023. Retrieved July 16, 2025.