Strong Mayor Powers

Effective May 1, 2025, the Mayor of Tay Township has Strong Mayor Powers. 

Under Part VI.1 of the Municipal Act, 2001, the Mayor (Head of Council) in Strong Mayor Municipalities can:

• Choose to appoint the Municipality's Chief Administrative Officer*
• Hire and dismiss certain municipal department heads and establish/reorganize departments*
• Create Committees of Council, assign their functions and appoint the Chairs and Vice-Chairs*
• Propose the Municipal Budget, which would be subject to Council amendments and a separate Mayoral veto and Council override process
• Veto certain By-laws if the Mayor is of the opinion that all or part of the By-law could potentially interfere with a provincial priority, such as housing, transit and/or infrastructure
• Bring forward matters for Council consideration if the Mayor is of the opinion that considering the matter could potentially advance a provincial priority
• Propose certain Municipal By-laws if the Mayor is of the opinion that the proposed By-law could potentially advance a provincial priority. Council can pass these By-laws if more than one-third (1/3) if Council Members vote in favour

*The Mayor may choose to delegate these specific powers and duties

The Mayor is required to exercise these powers in writing, give notice to the Municipal Clerk, and make decisions and directives available to the public, subject to the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. 

Mayoral decisions and directives to date are available below.

History

Bill 3, the Strong Mayors, Building Homes Act, 2022, received Royal Assent on September 8, 2022, and came into force on November 23, 2022, which provided special powers and duties to the Mayors of the City of Toronto and the City of Ottawa. This legislation and associated regulations (O. Reg. 530/22 and O. Reg 580/22) provide certain Mayors with additional powers beyond those previously set out in the Municipal Act, 2001. 

On June 16, 2023, the Ontario Government announced that the Mayoral Special Powers and duties, as outlined in the Municipal Act, 2001, would be expanded to Mayors in 26 municipalities, effective July 1, 2023.

At the Association for Municipalities of Ontario conference in August 2023, Premier Ford announced that 21 additional municipalities would be given Strong Mayor Powers if their Mayors (or heads of council) commit in writing, by October 15, 2023, to meet their provincially assigned housing target. 

On April 9, 2025, a letter was sent from the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing to the Head of Tay Township Council (Mayor Ted Walker) that effective May 1, 2025, Tay Township, along with 168 other municipalities, would be receiving Strong Mayor Powers. 

Provincial Priorities

Some Strong Mayor Powers are related to provincial priorities that are identified in O. Reg. 580/22: PROVINCIAL PRIORITIES. Provincial priorities include the following:

• Building 1.5 million new homes by December 31, 2031
• Constructing and maintaining infrastructure to support housing, including:
  • Transit
  • Roads
  • Utilities
  • Servicing

Conflict of Interest Declaration

The Municipal Conflict of Interest Act requires the Mayor to disclose any pecuniary interest when exercising any of the powers or duties assigned the Head of Council under Part VI.1 of the Municipal Act, 2001. The Mayor shall disclose the interest by filing a written statement of interest, along with its general nature, to the Municipal Clerk. The Mayor shall not use the power or exercise the duty with respect to the matter and not use their office to attempt to influence a decision that results from consideration of the matter.

For more information regarding Strong Mayor Powers and Duties, visit the Province of Ontario's website.