Port Hope Among 169 Municipalities Set to Receive Proposed Strong Mayor Powers

For Immediate Release
April 11, 2025 - Port Hope, ON

The Province of Ontario has announced plans to expand strong mayor powers to the heads of council in 169 additional municipalities. The Municipality of Port Hope is among those listed, with the changes proposed to take effect May 1, 2025.

The Province indicated that this change aims to streamline local governance and equip municipalities with the tools needed to remove barriers to new housing and infrastructure development.

Mayor Hankivsky provided her perspective on the announcement, stating, “As Mayor, my top priority is always to advocate at every level of government for the best interests of our community. While I fully support the provincial focus on housing, infrastructure improvements, and growth for Port Hope, I believe we can achieve these objectives within our existing organizational structure.

I hold the utmost respect for the vital role and responsibilities of a Municipal CAO, and I have every confidence in our Council and Staff. Together, we are committed to engaging with the public—listening, discussing, debating, and, when necessary, disagreeing—to ultimately make the best decisions for our community as a collective.”

The proposed powers would enable heads of council in single- and lower-tier municipalities (with six or more council members) to advance shared provincial-municipal priorities—such as encouraging the approval of new housing and constructing and maintaining infrastructure to support housing, including roads and transit.

Strong mayor powers and duties include:

• Choosing to appoint the municipality’s chief administrative officer.
• Hiring certain municipal department heads and establishing and re-organizing departments.
• Creating committees of council, assigning their functions, and appointing the chairs and vice-chairs of committees of council.
• Proposing the municipal budget, which would be subject to council amendments and a separate head of council veto and council override process.
• Proposing certain municipal by-laws if the mayor is of the opinion that the proposed by-law could potentially advance a provincial priority identified in regulation. Council can pass these by-laws if more than one-third of all council members vote in favour.
• Vetoing certain by-laws if the head of council is of the opinion that all or part of the by-law could potentially interfere with a provincial priority.
• Bringing forward matters for council consideration if the head of council is of the opinion that considering the matter could potentially advance a provincial priority.

This initiative was initially introduced for Toronto and Ottawa in 2022 and has gradually rolled out across the province. The province currently has 47 municipalities with these enhanced powers.

The proposal will be posted on Ontario’s Regulatory Registry and open for comments until April 16, 2025.

In response to the announcement, staff have put forward a report to Council, to be discussed at the upcoming meeting on April 15, 2025. In their report, staff advise that they are reviewing the legislative framework for expanded strong mayor powers to understand its scope, intent, and operational impact on the Municipality. They will monitor developments and provide updates, which could involve potential changes to municipal policies and procedures, and training for Council on the strong mayor powers.