A new Toronto City Council meets for the first time today. Here is how 'strong mayor' powers could shake up this term

Toronto City Council will convene today for the first meeting of its new term and while John Tory will once again occupy the mayor’s chair, his role at City Hall will be radically different than in the past.

Thanks to so-called ‘strong mayor’ powers handed to the chief magistrates in Toronto and Ottawa by the Ford government, Tory will have the ability to draft his own budget and override some council decisions.

He will also be able to push through some bylaws with support from only one-third of city council.

Tory, it should be noted, has maintained that he will still work to build consensus and will only use the enhanced powers sparingly.

But some members of council have expressed concerns that the legislation will allow him to skirt the democratic process.

Here is what you need to know about this term of council and the new powers that could shake up the way decisions are made in Toronto going forward: 

Tory just needs eight votes

The initial strong mayor legislation was passed in September, giving voters a chance to understand the sort of power that they would be handing the next mayor of Toronto before heading to the polls. However, just last week the province introduced new legislation which would dramatically increase Tory’s ability to make decisions. Bill 39 stipulates that if the mayor is “of the opinion” that a certain bylaw would help advance a provincial priority, such as getting housing built, they will only need the support of one-third of city council. That means that Tory could, in theory, push through his agenda with the support of just eight other city councillors. The new provision has come under fire in recent days, including from five former mayors of Toronto who wrote an open letter calling it “undemocratic.” At least four city councillors have also put out separate statements asking Tory to rescind his support for the new power.

Will Tory actually use his new powers?

It remains to be seen. Tory did say that he asked the province for the ability to pass bylaws with less than majority support as part of a commitment to getting more housing built “as quickly as possible” and “won’t hesitate” to use the full suite of new powers if they can help get housing built quicker.

But he has also said that his overall approach to governance won’t change and that residents can trust that he won’t abuse the new powers. So far Tory has said that he will use the new strong mayor powers to fast-track the creation of a new development and growth division to move housing forward but he has not yet revealed any other planned uses of the powers. Meanwhile, Tory’s counterpart in Ottawa Mark Sutcliffe has ruled out using the new enhanced powers granted to his office, releasing a statement last week to reiterate that promise.

“I have been clear that I will not use strong mayor powers. This includes the new provisions announced today,” he said at the time. “I'm focused on ensuring that thousands of new homes are being built in Ottawa, including affordable and supportive homes. The new city council is ready to work together to address barriers that prevent the building of more new homes throughout Ottawa.”

What qualifies as a provincial priority?

Tory’s ability to pass bylaws with minority support and veto some council decisions only applies to areas deemed a “provincial priority.” According to the proposed regulations, those priorities include the Ford government’s pledge to build 1.5 million new residential units by 2031, as well as any construction and maintenance of infrastructure that supports housing. This can include items such as transit, roads and utilities. So far the province has said that it will largely leave it up to mayor’s whether something should qualify as a designated provincial priority. For his part, Tory has said that he “won’t hesitate” to use the full suite of new powers if they can help get housing built quicker.

What other new powers will Tory have?

It is a long list. As mayor of Toronto, Tory will now be given sole responsibility for preparing a budget for council approval should he choose to take it. Tory will also be empowered to appoint a Chief Administrative Officer, hire and fire department heads and create or reorganize departments. However, those powers won’t apply to statutory appointments, such as the Chief of Police or the Medical Officer of Health.

Will there be any checks on Tory’s new powers?

While Tory will have a veto over some city council decisions that conflict with a provincial priority, it can be overridden by a two-thirds vote, which would have to take place within 21 days of the veto being exercised. There are also some limits on Tory’s veto, including the fact that it can only be used to override an entire bylaw and not to block specific amendments.