Strong Mayor Powers assigned to the Town of Penetanguishene

 The provincial government announced the expansion of the Strong Mayor powers to 170 municipalities, including the Town of Penetanguishene, effective May 1, 2025.  This update is to further deliver on provincial priorities, such as building more homes, transit and other infrastructure across Ontario. 

Since the onset of the expansion announcement, Mayor Doug Rawson and the Council of the Town of Penetanguishene took a strong stance in opposition. This was made clear in a letter addressed to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing sent from the Mayor on behalf of Council on April 14,2025.  “These powers would not lead to more efficient outcomes, particularly in the area of housing development. Strong Mayor powers would erode this foundation by concentrating decision-making in the hands of a single individual. This undermines the collaborative process that is critical to good governance.” read the letter. 

Beyond the provincial housing objectives, Strong mayor powers provide the Head of Council with the following duties:  

• Choosing to appoint the municipality’s chief administrative officer. 
• Hiring certain municipal department heads and establishing and re-organizing departments. 
• Creating committees of council, assigning their functions and appointing the chairs and vice-chairs of committees of council. 
• Proposing the municipal budget, which would be subject to council amendments and a separate head of council veto and council override process. 
• Proposing certain municipal by-laws if the mayor is of the opinion that the proposed by-law could potentially advance a provincial priority identified in regulation. Council can pass these by-laws if more than one-third of all council members vote in favour. 
• Vetoing certain by-laws if the head of council is of the opinion that all or part of the by-law could potentially interfere with a provincial priority. 
• Bringing forward matters for council consideration if the head of council is of the opinion that considering the matter could potentially advance a provincial priority. 

While maintaining the stance on the powers, Mayor Rawson issued directives, where possible, to formally delegate duties back to Council or the Chief Administrative Officer. These directives are public documents and can be viewed on the Town’s website Mayoral Decisions - Town of Penetanguishene. “The directives reinforce the commitment made to uphold and defend the democratic process that forms the foundation of municipal governance.” said Mayor Rawson. 

Town staff continue to work towards implementing processes and procedures to ensure that all aspects of the new legislation is upheld.