{"id":173661,"date":"2018-07-28T06:03:17","date_gmt":"2018-07-28T10:03:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/?p=173661"},"modified":"2018-07-28T06:03:17","modified_gmt":"2018-07-28T10:03:17","slug":"ontario-premier-slash-size-toronto-city-council-nearly-half","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/2018\/07\/28\/ontario-premier-slash-size-toronto-city-council-nearly-half\/","title":{"rendered":"Ontario premier to slash size of Toronto city council nearly by half"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Ford’s move was panned by Toronto Mayor John Tory, who said the process around the plan is \u201cabsolutely not right.\u201d (File photo<\/a>: Doug Ford\/Twitter<\/a>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

TORONTO \u2014 Doug Ford’s surprise decision to dramatically cut the size of Toronto’s city council just months before the fall municipal election drew immediate backlash Friday from the city’s mayor and other critics, who accused Ontario’s new premier of circumventing the democratic process.<\/p>\n

Ford said his Progressive Conservative government will introduce legislation to cut the number of council seats from 47 to 25, aligning city wards with federal ridings \u2014 a plan that wasn’t outlined during the spring election campaign or mentioned in the province’s throne speech earlier this month.<\/p>\n

The premier, a failed Toronto mayoral candidate and single-term city councillor, said he has wanted to make the change since his days at city hall.<\/p>\n

\u201cI promised to reduce the size and cost of government and end their culture of waste and mismanagement in government,\u201d he said. \u201cThis is something I fought for at city hall, something I continue to believe in today.\u201d<\/p>\n

Having fewer city councillors \u201cwill dramatically improve the decision-making process,\u201d and save Toronto taxpayers $25 million in councillor and staff salaries over four years, Ford said.<\/p>\n

Asked why he didn’t campaign on the plan or hold public consultations on it, Ford said he heard from thousands of people while canvassing that they want a smaller government.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople don’t care about politicians, they care about getting things done,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The deadline for candidates to register for Toronto’s election was Friday afternoon but the province said it will extend that to September. The deadline to run for mayor, however, was unchanged.<\/p>\n

Ford’s move was panned by Toronto Mayor John Tory, who said the process around the plan is \u201cabsolutely not right.\u201d The mayor said he’d propose a referendum on the issue.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a gigantic decision about the future of Toronto,\u201d Tory said. \u201cWhat we don’t need and what I just can’t support is change being rammed down our throats without a single second of public consultation.\u201d<\/p>\n

When asked if he had been given advance notice of Ford’s plan, Tory said the premier made a \u201cpassing reference\u201d to the idea in a meeting two weeks ago but the matter was dropped.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn’t think it was anything that was going to be taken seriously,\u201d Tory said. \u201cI said, ‘Well I don’t even think that was anything that was even possible.\u201d’<\/p>\n

The issue came to a head during a testy exchange at city hall Friday night, when the mayor confronted Coun. Mike Layton, accusing him of \u201cimplying\u201d that Tory had advanced knowledge of the move.<\/p>\n

\u201cGet up, if you have the balls to do it, and say it!\u201d Tory said.<\/p>\n

Several councillors joined Tory in opposing Ford’s plan.<\/p>\n

Calling the premier’s move \u201can affront to our democracy,\u201d Coun. Kristyn Wong-Tam urged Tory to challenge it in court.<\/p>\n

Coun. John Campbell said slashing council nearly in half would reduce oversight of municipal boards and commissions.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you reduce councillors to 25, all of a sudden you lose that connection with the electorate and in the end the public is the loser,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Others, however, expressed support for a smaller municipal government, arguing it would cut costs and help council reach decisions faster.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe only thing we do upstairs in that chamber is everybody gets up and just wants to talk,\u201d said Coun. Jim Karygiannis. \u201cWhen you have 25 people there’s more cohesion, you’ll move faster on things.\u201d<\/p>\n

Toronto city staff said the province’s plan would make preparing for the fall election very difficult, and would likely lead to the shortening of some electoral processes.<\/p>\n

Ford also said he will cancel planned elections for regional chair positions in the York, Peel, Niagara and Muskoka regions.<\/p>\n

Former Progressive Conservative leader Patrick Brown, whose resignation this winter paved the way for Ford to take over the party, was registered to run for the Peel seat, but made a last-minute switch Friday to join the mayoral race in Brampton, Ont.<\/p>\n

Former Liberal cabinet minister Steven Del Duca is a candidate for York regional chair.<\/p>\n

Ontario’s New Democrats accused Ford of ruling by edict \u201cas though he were a dictator\u201d and suggested he was meddling in municipal politics for personal reasons.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe is taking vengeance on his former political opponents, he’s behaving in a very mean-spirited way and his bullying approach to politics is odious,\u201d said NDP Leader Andrea Horwath.<\/p>\n

She also noted that a proposal similar to Ford’s was recently rejected by Toronto city council, which instead decided to increase the number of seats to 47 from 44.<\/p>\n

Horwath said her caucus, which holds 40 seats, would use every tool in its arsenal to oppose Ford’s legislation, but acknowledged there was ultimately little it could do.<\/p>\n

Ontario’s Liberal caucus also slammed the plan.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a highly undemocratic proposal,\u201d it said. \u201cThe Ford government is unilaterally ramming through a last-minute, massive change to Ontario’s electoral map.\u201d<\/p>\n

The federal government, meanwhile, said it would do whatever it can to protect the residents of Canada’s most populous city from the actions taken by the Ford government. Adam Vaughan, a Toronto Liberal MP and parliamentary secretary for urban affairs, said Toronto is too important for the federal government to stand idly by.<\/p>\n

One analyst said Ontario is entitled to implement its plan since Canada’s constitution enshrines the province’s right to make changes to municipal affairs.<\/p>\n

But lawyer Alexandra Flynn also noted that the City of Toronto Act recognizes the local government as a democratic institution that must be consulted when major decisions are made. The act also enshrines the city’s right to make decisions about ward boundaries. If a court challenge was mounted, however, an injunction would be needed to stop Ford’s plan from applying, she said.<\/p>\n

Another observer said Ford’s move will create havoc within Toronto’s municipal government.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt throws everything into disarray,\u201d said Mitchell Kosny, associate director of Ryerson University’s school of urban and regional planning. \u201cThis will now be the singular focus.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kosny said the decision has parallels to former premier Mike Harris’ forced amalgamation two decades ago that created the City of Toronto as it’s now constituted.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat didn’t come from any research, any study, it wasn’t on any political platform. I think the only study that was ever done on it was post-decision,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

And while Ford believes people support his move, Kosny pointed to opposition to amalgamation as evidence that may not be the case.<\/p>\n

\u201cI actually think this does resonate with people,\u201d he said. \u201cI’m not sure everyone understands what it will mean. But when you take things away from people it always rises ire.\u201d<\/p>\n

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