Ontario names eight regional chairs with new budget and hiring powers

TORONTO Ontario's government has picked the people who will lead eight regional governments, choosing them directly instead of letting voters or councils decide. The announcement came Tuesday, Nov. 10, from Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Rob Flack.

The appointees will chair the regional councils of Durham, Halton, Niagara, Peel, Waterloo and York, plus Muskoka District and Simcoe County. Those bodies run a range of services, from regional roads and water systems to public health and long-term care, in some of the province's fastest-growing communities, according to CityNews Toronto.

Who was chosen

The appointees are municipal veterans from different political backgrounds.

Steven Del Duca, Vaughan’s mayor and a former Ontario Liberal Party leader, will chair York. Pickering Mayor Kevin Ashe will lead Durham, and Welland Mayor Frank Campion will lead Niagara. Nando Iannicca will remain in the Peel chair, a position he has held since 2018.

Ann Mulvale, a former Oakville mayor who twice led the municipal association AMO, will chair Halton. Kitchener councillor Scott Davey, who has served since 2010, will lead Waterloo. Don McIsaac, Orillia’s outgoing mayor, will head Simcoe County. Scott Aitchison will chair Muskoka. He is the Conservative MP for Parry Sound-Muskoka and a former Huntsville mayor.

Aitchison is the only federal politician among the appointees. CityNews Toronto reported that the province said he plans to resign his House of Commons seat by the end of November and start as chair on Dec. 1. The Hamilton Spectator reported that the Toronto Star had learned two weeks earlier that he was being considered for the position.

What the chairs can do

The province says the chairs will carry "strong chair powers" meant to speed up decision-making and housing construction. CBC News reported that the powers include hiring or dismissing the chief administrative officer and division heads, directing staff, vetoing certain bylaws and proposing the municipal budget.

The appointments were given a legal basis this year. Ontario introduced the change for Durham, Halton, Muskoka and Waterloo in April. It received royal assent in May and also expanded the province’s existing power to appoint chairs in Niagara, Peel and York. The Spectator identified the legislation as the Better Regional Governance Act.

The Spectator reported that applicants had to apply online through the government’s appointments secretariat from June 29 to July 13.

Pay is handled differently from a normal election. According to the government's statement, compensation will be set by municipalities. Where an appointee is also a lower-tier mayor or councillor, total pay cannot exceed the larger of the two salaries. Those people will hold one seat on regional council, and their home municipality will name someone else to represent it there. The Spectator reported that Del Duca, Ashe and Campion will receive no extra pay, and that salaries for the others were not yet available.

Reaction

Flack framed the choices as a vote of confidence. "These appointments reflect our confidence in local leaders who bring a deep understanding of their municipalities and a proven record of performance and public service," he said in a statement carried by the Spectator.

The New Democrats were sharply critical. Jeff Burch, the party's municipal affairs critic and the MPP for Niagara Centre, told CityNews that taxpayers should elect their regional representatives. He also objected to how the chairs can govern. "These are people that are not only appointed and un-elected, but will have strong chair powers, which means they can pass budgets and do other things with only a third of the vote of council," Burch said.

Liberal MPP Rob Cerjanec of Ajax also criticized the approach, although he spoke favourably of Ashe, the Spectator reported. The publication also said the government hopes appointing people from across the political spectrum will counter claims of patronage.

The Association of Municipalities of Ontario took a more measured tone on Tuesday. President Riley Brockington said in a statement that the association "looks forward" to working with the new chairs and represents 444 municipalities. The group had urged the province in a June letter to let voters or local councils choose chairs, arguing that municipal leaders should answer directly to the people they serve.

The premier's office referred questions to the ministry, and the ministry pointed to its news release, CBC News reported.

What happens next

The only start date confirmed by the sources is Dec. 1, when Aitchison is expected to begin his role in Muskoka. They do not specify when the other terms start.

The move also fits a wider pattern. According to CityNews, the Ford government has steadily widened strong mayor powers since it first brought them to Toronto and Ottawa in 2022, saying they help communities meet housing targets. Critics argue the powers put too much authority in the hands of one person.