New ‘strong’ powers coming for next chair of regional councils in Mississauga, Brampton and across Ontario

The next head of Peel Regional Council will have additional “strong chair” powers after Ontario Premier Doug Ford gave some municipal leaders “strong mayor” powers a few years back.

In 2023, Ford granted the so-called powers to the mayors of dozens of Ontario cities including Mississauga and Brampton – rules that allow mayors to propose and pass a bylaw with one-third of council support.

Mayors can also veto a bylaw if it relates to building housing or related infrastructure, while mayoral staff can research and write reports, appoint chief administrative officers, and establish and dissolve committees.

The changes were introduced under the province’s More Homes Built Faster and the Cutting Red Tape to Build More Homes acts, with a goal of building 1.5 million homes in Ontario by 2031.

And after years of mayors having extra pull on their municipal councils, the province is set to extend similar powers to the chairs of regional governments, including the one that oversees Mississauga and Brampton.

The province has put forward legislation that will see regional chairs and chief executive officers appointed instead of chosen by councils, and will also introduce “strong chair” powers.

READ MORE: A look at one year of strong mayor powers in Mississauga and across Ontario

Regional chairs are already appointed in Peel and York, but the change will include Niagara, Durham, Halton, Muskoka, Waterloo and the warden of Simcoe County. The deadline for individuals interested in being considered for the regional chair and CEO positions was July 13.

The changes come after an unsuccessful push by Niagara Region’s now-former chair to consider amalgamating municipalities in the area, something Ford has said he personally supports.

The bill is aimed at faster municipal decision-making, fiscal responsibility, and aligning municipalities with provincial ones, the government says.

Ford’s government first granted the powers to the mayors of Toronto and Ottawa and since then has expanded them to include over 160 Ontario municipalities. The move came after the government passed and then reversed the Hazel McCallion Act, which would have seen Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon broken up into stand-alone municipalities as of Jan. 1, 2025.