As noted in our previous advocacy update regarding the expansion of strong mayor powers, as an Association, we are committed to providing ongoing support to members and affected municipal staff.
With the effective implementation date (May 1, 2025) for the additional 169 municipalities fast approaching, we have put together a webinar to share some insights and best practices about where to start and what discussions to have with your teams and council.
Register Today for Next Week's Webinar
Date: Friday, April 25
Time: 1:00-3:00pm ET
Join our policy and advocacy team alongside John Elvidge - City Clerk, City of Toronto, Julie Finley-Swaren - City Clerk and Director of Legislative Services, Information Security and Privacy, City of Waterloo, and June Gallagher - Clerk, Town of Clarington, for a comprehensive discussion. We will cover the basics of the powers, share some of our AMCTO research insights, hear applicable case studies regarding operationalization, and end with an open Q&A period and informal discussion.
Please note: this webinar is intended for staff of newly affected municipalities.
Register
Register for Upcoming Zoom Drop-In Discussions
At the outset of the announcement of strong mayor powers, as an Association, we supported the initial group of municipalities affected with regular Zoom drop-in discussions and a shared resource centre.
With the expansion of strong mayor powers, we will be resuming our drop-in sessions beginning Friday, May 2, 2025, and hosting every week (Fridays) until further notice. These sessions are intended to be a safe space for affected municipal staff to exchange ideas, collaborate, ask questions, and provide updates and resources to the group.
Shared Resource Centre
Our shared resource centre contains applicable strong mayor documents from municipalities that have experience in implementing and operationalizing this legislation. Resources include reports, templates, presentations, and other materials to support staff at every phase of implementation.
We will be adding the newly affected 169 clerks to this shared space by the end of the day tomorrow (Thursday, April 17, 2025). If you have not received an email inviting you to this shared space or if you would like another senior leader from your municipality to be included, please contact us.
Please note that access to this resource centre is only for those clerks, deputy clerks, chief administrative officers (CAOs), or other senior managers who work in strong mayor municipalities. This resource is not available to political leaders, candidates, private companies or the public.
Continuing to Advocate on Behalf of Members
We continue to press the Province on the need to remove the authority of heads of council to directly hire or terminate any municipal staff, including the CAO, before expanding the authorities to further municipalities. The Province is consulting on the expansion of strong mayor powers in a one-week window that closes today (April 16, 2025). We have provided advice and recommendations in several areas where additional legislative clarity is still needed, including restricted acts and on the management of budgetary matters.
In our submission, we also highlighted the ambiguity of the head of council using employment matter powers when a CAO holds dual roles, such as clerk or treasurer (which are statutory officers). We also discussed the need to consider the interplay between planning boards and the powers granted to the head of council through S. 284.11.1 to propose bylaws, particularly in the north.
As always, our team will continue to monitor this legislation and will continue to support members, municipal staff, and the wider sector on its implementation. In the meantime, we encourage you to help us continue to advocate to the Province. We thank you in advance for your continued support and perseverance!
For more information or questions, please contact our policy and advocacy team.