Mayors in Ontario are using expanded "strong-mayor" powers for community projects like pickleball courts and giant flags instead of housing initiatives [1].
This trend suggests a significant gap between the provincial government's goal of accelerating home construction and how local leaders are actually exercising their authority. While the powers were designed to bypass council gridlock to solve the housing crisis, the data indicates they are being repurposed for local amenities.
An analysis of 216 municipalities tracked 4,242 decisions made under these powers [2]. Despite the intended focus on residential development, only two percent of the use of strong-mayor powers had anything to do with housing starts [3]. Municipal civil servants said these powers are having little to no impact on housing [4].
In Kitchener, the municipal website lists 59 instances of strong-mayor power use [5]. Mayor Berry Vrbanovic said, "I have not used strong‑mayor powers to veto my council" [6].
The current system is poised for further growth. Approximately 170 additional communities are slated for the strong-mayor system expansion [7]. Currently, less than 50% of the officials granted these powers had used them before the system was expanded [8].
Local leaders continue to use the expanded authority to pursue initiatives that fall outside the province's housing agenda [1]. By utilizing these tools for smaller community projects, mayors are demonstrating a preference for immediate local visibility over the complex, long-term requirements of provincial housing targets.
“Only two percent of the use of strong‑mayor powers had anything to do with housing starts.”
The discrepancy between the intended use of strong-mayor powers and their actual application reveals a tension between provincial mandates and municipal priorities. By prioritizing low-stakes community projects over housing starts, mayors may be avoiding the political friction associated with dense development while still benefiting from the centralized authority granted by the province.
