Episode 60 Clarington Mayor Adrian Foster and Strong Mayor Powers

Strong Mayor Powers were introduced to Ontario in a limited way in September of 2022, and more broadly July 1, 2023. Mayors in Ontario typically are elected by the whole community that they represent, but on their council, have the same voting power that other councillors have, who were elected to represent a portion of their community. In Ontario, that means mayors, even of the largest cities like Toronto, Ottawa, Hamilton, Mississauga and London were expected to build consensus around their ideas in order for them to pass. This would be much more easily done in communities like Clarington where there are 6 councillors in addition to the mayor on Council…versus 20-30 in other places. Strong Mayor Powers are granted according to The Strong Mayor, Build Better Faster Act so the justification for them is pretty clear. Adrian Foster joins me today to explain the effect of Strong Mayor powers, the rationale for it, and how he sees that being applied in Ontario...and a few other things.