Councillors in Norfolk County voted against accepting strong mayor powers during their meeting on Monday. Voting for strong mayor powers would have opened them up to extra provincial funding for housing.
Strong mayor powers include allowing mayors to propose housing-related bylaws and pass them with the support of one-third of councillors, as well as override council approval of certain bylaws and prepare their city’s budget, instead of council.
The Ontario government launched the Building Faster Fund last month, a new three-year, $1.2 billion program that provides significant new funding based on performance against provincial housing targets.
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Strong mayor powers for Toronto and Ottawa took effect in the fall of 2022 and were expanded on July 1 to mayors in 26 additional municipalities, including Hamilton, Burlington and Niagara Falls.
A statement from the province says Ontario is also expanding strong mayor powers to municipalities with a population of 50,000 or larger by 2031 and commit to meeting their provincial targets.
Premier Doug Ford said in a statement that the provincial government will give municipalities the tools they need to tackle the affordability crisis.
