City of Ottawa

[silvergate]

Originally Posted by Proof Sheet

https://ottawacitizen.com/opinion/dreess...chitect-would-push-us-towards-excellence

Thoughts? The City do have 'urban designers' and 2 or 3 licensed architects who provide design comments on files but from what I know most architects don't like other architects telling them what to do.

Would rather see the city focus on improving access to housing, quality of housing, and expanded types of housing rather than cladding. Less visible but much more impactful for residents of the city.

[rocketphish]

Five things: Simmering local government issues move to the front burner in 2022

Jon Willing, ottawa Citizen
Publishing date: Jan 02, 2022 • 23 hours ago • 4 minute read

Believe it or not, there has been more happening in Ottawa’s local government aside from LRT controversies, integrity scandals and urban planning outrages.

Several issues have been simmering in 2021 and, while they occasionally bubble up for a day or two, they stay on the back burner until recommendations and reports are ready for public consumption.

Here are five issues in local government that could move to the front burner in 2022.

Emerging changes to garbage collection

Ottawa’s municipal dump is filling up. Fast.

So fast, in fact, that, if residents don’t reduce their garbage and don’t recycle more material, the Trail Road landfill could be full in 15 years.

The city has been working on a 30-year solid waste master plan and big changes could come to residential collection within years. While a final plan isn’t scheduled to be in front of council until early 2023, next year will feature the release of a business case for a new waste-management system and it will include targets.

Will the city reduce the number of bags people are allowed to put out on garbage day? Will people need to purchase garbage tags? Will people need to use clear bags so recycling can be policed?

The city has scheduled a new round of consultations beginning Jan. 31.

Lansdowne Park’s next big facelift

The redevelopment at Lansdowne left a major non-heritage building in place: the old Civic Centre arena and north-side stands.

Realizing now they aren’t adequate sports facilities for today’s standards, the city and Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group have been looking into ways to revitalize that portion of the complex. It could involve building a smaller “event centre” arena — about half of the current size of the Civic Centre — and a residential tower with some affordable housing.

The city is also using the opportunity to improve the public spaces, including the urban park.

Whatever proposal lands in 2022, council has said it must benefit taxpayers and ensure property tax money isn’t used to prop up OSEG operations.

City staff have been scheduled to report back by the end of March.

Affordable housing mandate using inclusionary zoning

An inclusionary zoning policy has been a long time coming at the City of Ottawa and it should finally arrive in 2022.

Under the authority of the province, the city can mandate a certain number of homes to be affordable in a new residential development.

A new council-approved official plan says the city must create an inclusionary zoning policy in response to the 10-year housing and homelessness plan. One target for inclusionary zoning will be residential projects around major transit stations.

There will be debate over how much affordable housing the city should require in a new development and what it would mean for other housing prices

If there are forced price reductions on some units, will prices on other units be inflated to make up the difference?

At the same time, the city is in a council-declared housing and homeless emergency and it needs every tool available to provide affordable homes.

Chances of downtown NHL arena become more certain

The National Capital Commission is intent on figuring out in 2022 if there’s interest in building a destination facility at LeBreton Flats.

The NCC has set Feb. 28 as the deadline for groups to make a pitch to the agency, and it might be the next opportunity to see how serious the Ottawa Senators are about a downtown arena.

There could be other ideas, of course, but at least the city will see if a new arena at LeBreton Flats is still an option.

After the NCC announced a new process to find ideas, Senators owner Eugene Melnyk said the club was “always open and interested in a new multi-purpose entertainment facility at LeBreton Flats.”

If the Senators don’t respond to the NCC’s request for expressions of interest, the idea of an arena at LeBreton Flats would seem dead. If the Senators do respond to the request, there will be lots more to talk about.

Understanding how people get around the region

The COVID-19 pandemic has thrown a wrench into transportation planning for the region.

Nothing is certain. Nothing is predictable.

The City of Ottawa’s transportation master plan is eight years old and is undergoing an update, which has been delayed because of the pandemic. Transportation patterns have changed since council approved the scope of work in June 2019.

A key part of writing a new transportation master plan is figuring out how people are travelling around the region through an origin-destination survey jointly funded by the cities of Ottawa and Gatineau, Société de transport de l’Outaouais (STO), Ontario and Quebec governments and the NCC.

The study was scheduled for fall 2020 before it was deferred to fall 2021 and pushed again to fall 2022. Some initial surveying could happen in the spring.

No one knows what traffic patterns or transit ridership will look like, but the study, if it’s not delayed further, will provide a critical snapshot of how COVID-19 has impacted travel habits, potentially shaping the future of transportation infrastructure in Ottawa.

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twitter.com/JonathanWilling

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-new...-issues-move-to-the-front-burner-in-2022

[rocketphish]

Finance committee supports new municipal tax targeting vacant residential units

Jon Willing, Ottawa Citizen
Publishing date: Mar 01, 2022 • 38 minutes ago • 2 minute read

Now’s a good time for Ottawa landlords to fill any vacant rental units.

On Tuesday, the finance and economic development committee unanimously supported a one-per-cent vacant unit tax that, if ratified by council next week, would apply to vacancies racked up in 2022 and be paid in 2023.

The new policy has been in development since last June when council approved a framework for the finance department to consult the public and create the tax.

The city says there are about 330,000 property owners who would need formally declare vacancies for the calendar year. Under the proposed tax scheme, a unit will be declared vacant if it was unoccupied for more than 184 days.

Revenue from the program would flow into housing programs.

In 2023, the gross revenue is expected to be $6.9 million. After $1.6 million in program costs are covered, the remaining $5.2 million would be available for housing initiatives.

Roughly $5 million could be generated annually for housing programs over the next five years, thanks to the vacant unit tax, according to the city’s estimates.

There are several exemptions.

For one, the vacant unit tax wouldn’t apply to buildings with seven or more units in a multi-residential property classification.

The sale of a property, as long as it’s to an unrelated person or company, would exempt it from the vacancy tax. Exemptions also apply in event of an owner’s death and if the owner is in a health care facility, like a hospital.

Owners can also avoid the vacancy tax if a court order prohibited occupancy of a unit, or if the property was undergoing significant renovations

Cottages would be exempted from the tax if the owner has a short-term rental permit and the property is rented for more than 100 days in a calendar year.

Principal homes won’t be subject the vacancy tax. That means snowbirds who escape the Ottawa winter for several months in a year won’t need to worry about paying an extra tax.

John Dickie, chair of the Eastern Ontario Landlord Organization, recognized the proposed vacancy tax is likely a “done deal” and he urged the committee to not seek a higher rate than the proposed one per cent.

When it comes to vacant homes, Dickie said “there are two sides to this story,” arguing that homes without occupants don’t drive paramedic calls or draw on library resources.

However, the city heard from residents that a vacant unit tax could clean up communities while improving the rental housing stock.

Cheryl Parrott of the Hintonburg Community Association said the organization “enthusiastically” supports the new tax.

Some councillors, though, expressed skepticism about the new tax.

Coun. Riley Brockington, who’s not on the finance committee, said he doesn’t like the idea of telling people what to do with their residences and he’s not convinced a vacant unit tax will have an impact on housing and homelessness in Ottawa.

“I don’t run to create new taxes,” Brockington said.

Coun. Cathy Curry said she’s not sure if a one-per-cent tax is enough of an incentive for a property owner to fill a unit, but she supported the city’s proposal as a member of the finance committee.

Council is scheduled to consider the vacancy tax on March 9.

[email protected]
twitter.com/JonathanWilling

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-new...l-tax-targeting-vacant-residential-units

[J.OT13]

For one, the vacant unit tax wouldn’t apply to buildings with seven or more units in a multi-residential property classification.

If I'm understanding right, a high-rise could be abandoned, and that would be fine?

Side note: are we planning any vacancy taxes for commercial and/or heritage properties? Magee House, Somerset House, Westoro Convent.. Bunch of abandoned suburban commercial buildings.

[rocketphish]

Coun. Meehan resigns as library trustee after disclosing information from closed-door board meeting
"I like to tell the truth. It was not deliberate. It just came out in course of conversation."

Jon Willing, Ottawa Citizen
Mar 08, 2022 • 18 hours ago • 2 minute read

Coun. Carol Anne Meehan resigned as a library trustee after disclosing information from a closed-door meeting of the Ottawa Public Library board.

Asked about her resignation on Tuesday, Meehan provided an explanation about the events from last Friday, leading to her quitting the board.

“I like to tell the truth,” Meehan said before explaining what happened at the Barrhaven BIA meeting, where she told people about a library project that could be coming to the suburb.

“It was not deliberate. It just came out in the course of conversation.”

Word of Meehan’s slip-up reached Danielle McDonald, CEO of the OPL, and library board chair Coun. Matthew Luloff.

(Local government in Ottawa is a small world. Andrea Steenbakkers is the executive director of the Barrhaven BIA. Her mother is Barrhaven Coun. Jan Harder, who is a former library board chair.)

Meehan, who represents Gloucester-South Nepean ward, said Luloff called her and asked if she mentioned the library project during the BIA meeting.

“I did and I suggested I resign from the board because that would be the honourable thing to do,” Meehan said Tuesday.

Meehan said she didn’t deliberately break the in-camera confidence, adding she was trying to share some positive news about what might happen in the community.

“Everybody was a bit down and I just sort of said there could be some good news coming,” Meehan said Tuesday.

Meehan submitted her resignation on Friday, but it wasn’t shared publicly until a board meeting late Tuesday afternoon.

Luloff announced Meehan’s resignation at the start of the meeting, but he didn’t say why she resigned. Luloff thanked Meehan for her service as a trustee over the past three years.

Meehan acknowledged she was philosophically at odds with the board at times — she questioned the big costs for the Ādisōke super library being built on LeBreton Flats — but she said “it’s a very well-run board” and McDonald “is an amazing CEO.”

City council will need to appoint a member to the library board to replace Meehan.

It will be the second seat vacated by Meehan requiring council’s attention.

Meehan quit the Ottawa Police Service board last month in a mass resignation of council-appointed members during the trucker occupation. Council voted to remove Coun. Diane Deans from chairing the police board.

[email protected]
twitter.com/JonathanWilling

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-new...formation-from-closed-door-board-meeting

[rocketphish]

New rules to oust councillors after misconduct one step closer to approval
Orléans MPP Stephen Blais's bill passes 2nd reading, 3rd needed before election

Joanne Chianello · CBC News
Posted: Mar 10, 2022 4:00 AM ET | Last Updated: 9 hours ago

The provincial government is one step closer to changing its laws so that a city councillor who has behaved disreputably can lose their seat.

Orléans MPP Stephen Blais's private member's bill passed second reading at Queen's Park Wednesday evening — an uncommon occurrence for a non-government bill that aims to change provincial law.

It is now headed to the standing committee on social policy for more study and possible amendments.

"Harassment and abuse of women is a plague," Blais said in his opening statement in the legislature. "And tragically, as we have witnessed over the last couple of years, the halls of power in cities across this province are not immune to this plague."

Blais, who was an Ottawa city councillor from 2010 to 2020, said he was motivated after CBC and two damning integrity commissioner reports revealed Coun. Rick Chiarelli harassed former staff members and job applicants for years, as well as abused his power of office.

There have been other stories of shocking misconduct by councillors in other Ontario cities, including Brampton, Barrie and Mississauga, Blais said.

The east-end MPP read aloud from letters written by three women who used to work for Chiarelli and who've been advocating for changes to the act.

Stephanie Dobbs, one of the formal complainants against Chiarelli, wrote that the College ward councillor "used manipulation tactics to undermine my sense of self and safety within the office, which led to my mental health deteriorating, physical illness, and thoughts of suicide."

Victoria Laaber wrote that coming to terms with the years she spent working for Chiarelli "came with a wave of shame — shame for realizing what was happening in the moment, shame for not being able to protect myself, shame due to knowing he kept up his behaviour long after I was gone, subsequently creating more victims."

About half-a-dozen MPPs spoke during the debate, all in favour of the bill.

NDP MPP for Ottawa Centre Joel Harden supported the bill, saying "I can't wait for this to become law." A number of his New Democrat colleagues also spoke in favour of the bill, as did Ottawa-area Liberals.

Many, including Blais, made the point that regular Ontarians would likely lose their jobs if they behaved like some councillors, but there is no way to remove an elected official who's behaved the same way — or worse.

"Coun. Rick Chiarelli should have lost his job long ago," said Ottawa-Vanier MPP Lucille Couillard. "This bill is a common-sense reform that is badly needed."

Councillors can lose their seats for breaking election spending rules and certain conflict of interest rules.

But the most severe penalty for a councillor who behaves egregiously is a suspension of pay. Chiarelli had his salary docked for about 15 months, but he's been back on the city payroll since November.

Blais's Bill 10, called the "Stopping Harassment and Abuse by Local Leaders Act," would allow for a councillor who contravened the code of conduct by failing to comply with workplace violence or harassment policies to be removed from office.

The bill proposes that a final decision be made by a Superior Court judge.

The Progressive Conservative government has expressed support for changing the law. Last March, the government quietly announced it would launch consultations "to strengthen accountability for council members" — consultations that occurred last summer.

In December, the government was expected to table a bill to change the laws regarding councillor conduct, but at the last minute, the government changed its mind.

At Wednesday's evening's debate, the PCs were represented by Stormont-Glengarry-South Dundas MPP Jim McDonell, the parliamentary assistant to the minister of municipal affairs.

He did not explicitly endorse Blais's bill, but said his party supports change.

"I believe that stronger consequences should be put in place to deter misconduct and violations of that trust," McDonell said. "We have been clear, our government will not tolerate workplace harassment or discrimination of any kind."

There are only about eight weeks left before the legislature dissolves for the provincial election. It's unclear whether Blais's bill can be passed in that time.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/pr...lors-misconduct-second-reading-1.6379364

[J.OT13]

Should have included MPPs in there as well while they were at it.

[rocketphish]

Ottawa city council could create non-voting seat for Anishinabe Algonquin elder
If approved, a new protocol would be implemented over the next 5 years

Matthew Kupfer · CBC News
Posted: Apr 13, 2022 4:00 AM ET | Last Updated: 7 hours ago

Ottawa city council could add a non-voting seat representing the nation on whose unceded, traditional territory the city is built.

Councillors will be considering the Anishinabe Algonquin Civic Cultural Protocol at a meeting Wednesday.

The protocol recognizes the Anishinabe Algonquins as the city's host nation and makes a series of promises to increase their prominence and participation in city arts, heritage and culture programming.

It follows years of development with the Algonquin Anishinabeg Nation Tribal Council, Algonquin Nation Programs and Services Secretariat, Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg First Nation and Algonquins of Pikwakanagan First Nation.

The city says the proposal for a non-voting seat at council for an Anishinabe Algonquin elder came from those groups.

This new council member would serve as a "symbolic presence" and "honorary adviser" providing advice on matters concerning Algonquins, their traditional knowledge and worldview, according to a city statement.

The details — including specific role, selection process, rights and responsibilities — would be the subject of further discussion before implementation, the city said.

Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg Chief Dylan Whiteduck said he hopes the role would serve as a liaison to council and a reminder of their ongoing presence.

"Having someone appointed on the council is a great step. It means that we have a voice," Whiteduck said.

"It means we have someone we can ask questions to, it provides also accountability on the mayor and city councillors when it comes to Indigenous protocols and Indigenous identity."

Whiteduck said that also extends to projects where Indigenous identity is part of the pitch, as was the case in the controversy over the Tewin development, or significant projects currently underway such as LeBreton Flats.

"Hopefully the City of Ottawa recognizes this and we have a true dialogue here, not one where we're going to get stabbed in the back or pushed to the sidelines," he said.

Algonquins of Pikwakagan Chief Wendy Jocko said Wednesday morning she supports the overall protocol.

At a committee meeting on the protocol last month, Pikwakagan Coun. Dan Kohoko said the protocol is a good initiative that shows an opportunity for co-operation and to provide an international showcase for Anishinabe Algonquin culture.

In an interview Monday, a spokesperson for Jocko said the elder should have a vote on council. However, in a follow-up email, Jocko said that person was misinformed on her position.

Savanna McGregor, acting grand chief of the Algonquin Anishinabeg Nation Tribal Council, said even though the person would not have a vote they could still have an important influence.

"Just to be at the table means so much and it actually shows a commitment to working in collaboration," McGregor said.

"The individual would serve the nation as a constant reminder that we are here and these are unceded lands and that whenever culture comes into play … that a true Algonquin representative elder will be there to help guide and answer questions."

McGregor said the four Algonquin organizations involved in creating the protocol could be involved in selecting a reputable elder for the role.

She said the only other place she's seen a similar position is the Regional District of Central Okanagan in B.C., where the Westbank First Nation has a non-voting councillor.

The majority of the protocol addresses goals over a five-year period such as encouraging more Anishinabe Algonquin participation in cultural industries, the city's archives and archeology project and reducing barriers for use of city recreation facilities.

It also includes removing Indigenous-themed mascots and names from non-Indigenous sports organizations at city facilities, plaques with territorial acknowledgements and creating a consultative culture circle that meets at least twice a year.

Veldon Coburn, a University of Ottawa professor and member of the Algonquins of Pikwakanagan, said it's important the document is based on work with legitimate political bodies.

He said the emphasis on cultural "window-dressing" and the lack of more substantial political power-sharing with these communities shows there's still a long way to go.

"It leaves a little to be desired, but it's actually a larger first step in terms of municipal-Indigenous relations in Canada," Coburn said.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/an...a-city-civic-cultural-protocol-1.6416316

[rocketphish]

Doug Ford to give greater, U.S.-style powers to mayors of Toronto and Ottawa
The dramatic change would dilute the influence of municipal councillors in Ontario’s two largest cities, ensuring far more authority for the mayors over financial matters and appointments.

By Robert Benzie, Queen's Park Bureau Chief
The Toronto Star
Tue., July 19, 2022 | 6 min. read | Article was updated 11 hrs ago

Premier Doug Ford is poised to give U.S.-style “strong-mayor” powers to the cities of Toronto and Ottawa, the Star has learned.

The dramatic change would dilute the influence of municipal councillors in Ontario’s two largest cities, ensuring far more authority for the mayors over financial matters and appointments.

Ford, long a proponent of mayors having greater clout than councillors, wants the Toronto and Ottawa chief magistrates empowered to oversee budgets and act unilaterally if need be.

Sources, speaking confidentially in order to discuss delicate internal deliberations, say the reforms are designed to improve city government and would be unveiled within weeks by Municipal Affairs Minister Steve Clark.

Asked Tuesday what was afoot, Clark’s office stressed any looming civic changes would be to help tackle the housing crisis.

“We know that today in Ontario, too many families are frozen out of the housing market,” Chris Poulos, the minister’s director of issues management, said in an email.

“That’s why we have a plan to build 1.5 million homes over the next 10 years and continue to explore ways to help municipalities get more homes built faster,” said Poulos.

The City of Toronto Act, the City of Ottawa Act and the Municipal Act would need to be amended to enhance the mayoral powers.

Only the mayors of Toronto and Ottawa would be granted the new authority. There are no imminent plans to give similar powers to mayors of cities like Mississauga, Brampton, Hamilton or London.

Details are still being finalized and the matter has yet be discussed by Ford’s full cabinet as the re-elected Progressive Conservative government prepares for the Aug. 9 throne speech outlining its agenda.

Cabinet meets Wednesday at Queen’s Park, at the same time as Toronto’s city council holds its final meeting before this fall’s municipal election.

As Toronto city council met into the night on Tuesday, and news of the strong-mayor change spread, Coun. Gord Perks made a plea for information about what Ford is up to.

“The Toronto Star is reporting that once again the Premier of Ontario thinks that the people of Toronto are incapable of governing themselves, and that it’s his intention to introduce legislation which will create a strong-mayor system,” Perks told Coun. Frances Nunziata, the city council speaker. “I think it would be inappropriate for us to end our term without us having a chance to discuss a potentially very, very important change to the way the city of Toronto is governed.”

Nunziata agreed to consult with the city manager and mayor’s office for more details by Wednesday.

It remains unclear whether the Toronto and Ottawa mayors would enjoy the sweeping veto powers of their American counterparts.

Ford, who lived in Chicago for many years, has often marvelled at how mayors in some U.S. cities are able to operate like chief executives.

The Tories, who want any changes in place before the Oct. 24 municipal elections, emphasized no one should be surprised by the premier’s gambit.

He would in effect be fulfilling a pledge he first mused about in his 2016 book, “Ford Nation: Two Brothers, One Vision,” although he did not broach the issue during this year’s Ontario election campaign.

“If I ever get to the provincial level of politics, municipal affairs is the first thing I would want to change,” wrote the former city councillor, whose late brother Rob Ford was mayor from 2010 until 2014.

“I think mayors across the province deserve stronger powers. One person in charge, with veto power, similar to the strong mayoral systems in New York and Chicago and L.A.”

Under the existing “weak-mayor” system in Ontario, a mayor can steer an agenda by appointing committee chairs, but only has one vote on council and needs the backing of a majority of councillors to make significant changes.

Toronto Mayor John Tory, who is seeking re-election to a third term this fall, has long argued that the head of city council needs more than symbolic power.

“I think people right now, they think that I have the authority to do a whole lot of things, and in fact I have authority to do very little,” Tory, who defeated Ford in the 2014 mayoral race, admitted to the Star’s David Rider in 2018.

In some types of “strong-mayor” systems, the chief magistrate can override city council decisions, fire and hire department chiefs, and control the budget.

It will not be the first time Ford has imposed a radical change on city council that he didn’t mention during a recent provincial election campaign.

Four years ago, as first revealed by the Star, he unilaterally slashed the size of Toronto city council almost in half even as that municipal campaign was underway.

Along with cutting the number of councillors from 47 to 25 — to match ward boundaries to federal and provincial ridings — Ford scrapped regional chair elections in Peel and York regions.

That curbed the ambitions of Patrick Brown, a former PC leader who is now the Brampton mayor, and Steven Del Duca, who later became Liberal leader and lost the June 2 provincial election.

But in October 2019, Ford and Clark abandoned further municipal reforms, scrapping a proposed revamp of regional governments that some feared would mean forced amalgamations of towns and cities.

Critics of a “strong-mayor” system argue that city council acts as a check on the office, ensuring a more consensus-building approach to municipal governance and preventing any mayor from going rogue.

Some also worry that, in Toronto at least, left-leaning councillors would see their influence diminish at city hall.

Toronto Coun. Mike Layton said Ford’s proposed changes “could be a huge loss to democracy” if the newfound powers land in the wrong hands. In specific, Layton raised concerns that the new changes would wrest power from city councillors on important items like the annual budget.

“The budget is arguably the most important item we pass all year. And it’s a product of councillors who reflect the will of their constituents. If all of a sudden you’re cutting those voices out, and giving a mayor sweeping powers to potentially override those councillors, how is that serving democracy?”

Proponents — including the Star’s editorial board in 2008 — counter that a mayor should be “not just one voice among many on council but a chief executive with powers to manage the city … especially its finances.”

A 2005 report by the “Governing Toronto Advisory Panel” recommended a strong mayor as part of municipal reforms.

When then-premier Dalton McGuinty passed the City of Toronto Act in 2006 — giving the provincial capital greater autonomy over its affairs, including increased taxing powers — he touted a “strong-mayor” system.

“This is an issue that is independent of personalities, political leanings,” McGuinty noted in 2008.

“It’s all about ensuring we have an effective governance model to help lead an exciting, large urban centre here in North America at the beginning of the 21st century. I don’t think that we’ve got the model in place that allows them (Toronto city council) to do that,” he said.

“I’ve said before that I’m in support of a strong-mayor system and my support remains.”

David Miller, who was Toronto’s mayor at the time, said he did not need such powers, so McGuinty’s Liberal government backed off.

However, Queen’s Park warned it would impose such a system if city council was incapable of making necessary changes to improve the chaotic budget-making process.

After lurching through a debilitating budget crisis, Miller struck an expert panel, which concluded in 2008 that a 45-member city council was “unwieldy, difficult to operate, and diffuses accountability, authority and responsibility.”

But months later, the “strong-mayor” push returned to the back burner as other matters came to dominate provincial and municipal politics after the 2008 global financial meltdown.

Now it is re-emerging just in time for the October civic elections.

There is no incumbent in Ottawa’s mayoral race, as Jim Watson is not seeking re-election.

So far, 10 candidates have registered, including former mayor Bob Chiarelli, Coun. Catherine McKenney and broadcaster Mark Sutcliffe.

In Toronto, Tory is facing off against 11 less-known challengers.


With files from Jacob Lorinc and David Rider

https://www.thestar.com/politics/provinc...ers-to-mayors-of-toronto-and-ottawa.html

[Tesladom]

In the current system, what power does the mayor have over the councilors?
I feel that the mayor simply has a vote on council just like other councilors, so it leads to the questions - what's the point of being mayor?

[Proof Sheet]

Originally Posted by Tesladom

In the current system, what power does the mayor have over the councilors?
I feel that the mayor simply has a vote on council just like other councilors, so it leads to the questions - what's the point of being mayor?

Our current mayor has a 'whip' I'm sure to secure the votes the way he wants as he is rarely on the losing side and he has a core of sure fire votes in his favour on major items.

I'm sure there will be some pearl clutching going on by the usual suspects on Council who are very vocal about their displeasure with the mayor and his method of running City Council.

[Truenorth00]

I'd like a strong mayor system for big cities like Ottawa.

[J.OT13]

Not a fan of this. With the current system, we've already seen Watson run Council at his will. Conversely, we saw with O'Brien, who did not have the same strong support, or "club", as Watson, was still able to push his agenda, with the reversal of the north-south rail in favour of east-west with a tunnel, ad Lansdowne, so the current system can work, even with a mayor who does not garner the same amount of support.

I look at the issue like pot shops, where cities had to decide for an all or nothing approach. For an issue like that, I wish cities could have regulated where these pot shops could go so that they didn't all accumulate in one corner of the city.

As for reducing the size of Council in Toronto, that is something I wish would have been done here.

He clearly has a ax to grind with Toronto City Council. This time, he decided to just throw Ottawa in the mix to make it seem less so.

[rocketphish]

'Strong mayor' system would silence elected representatives and community, councillor says
'It impoverishes our democracy at the local level,' says municipal lawyer

Dan Taekema · CBC News
Posted: Jul 20, 2022 4:33 PM ET | Last Updated: 30 minutes ago

An Ottawa councillor says he was "blindsided" by news Premier Doug Ford is considering giving "strong mayor" powers to the city's top elected official, a move one expert says would reduce the rest of council to a group of "backup" singers.

The premier suggested Wednesday that he plans to move ahead with introducing a strong mayor system in both Ottawa and Toronto before the municipal elections in October.

Exact details of what those powers would entail are still vague, but Ford told Global News outside Queen's Park that they will include the option of vetoing council motions. It's likely two-thirds of councillors would be able to then overrule the mayoral veto, he added.

"Frankly [I'm] blindsided," said River ward representative Riley Brockington.

Extra mayoral powers aren't something Ottawa or it's councillors have ever asked for, he said.

"If you allow one member of council to have a veto or power to overrule that of council that means my voice is effectively eliminated and on behalf of my residents," Brockington said.

The Toronto Star first reported Tuesday that Ford is considering legislation that would give stronger powers to the mayors of Toronto and Ottawa as part of a bid to get more new housing built in those cities.

Mayor Jim Watson is not seeking re-election. His office said he wasn't available for comment Wednesday. The city said it would not be releasing a statement until the Municipal Act is amended.

Toronto Mayor John Tory has signalled he would support being handed expanded powers from the province.

It's a "radical shift," according to Stéphane Émard-Chabot, who teaches municipal law at the University of Ottawa and was once a councillor for the city.

"To me it impoverishes our democracy at the local level," he said, adding it's a very American way of doing things.

A "strong mayor" system is typically marked by the centralization of executive power with the mayor, who has control over department head appointments and oversees budgets.

It's a system common in the United States, with the role of mayors akin to a CEO that operates in conjunction with but also independently from council.

Émard-Chabot said the switch to the system would be "problematic" in several ways including the loss of a range of voices on council and the risk that a mayor elected with a fraction of the vote could end up holding a lot of power.

"The more you concentrate power, the more you raise the risk of corruption," he said.

He said it's a "shame" the premier announced the change with an election around the corner and said if the goal is to move files such as housing along more quickly the province could sit down with the cities and find ways to streamline the process.

"There are ways of ... changing the role of mayor without turning councillors into a secondary, backup group of singers."

Somerset councillor and mayoral candidate Catherine McKenney tweeted they believe the system is "anti-democratic."

"If anything we need stronger cities rather than stronger mayors if we're looking to build the types of communities people are looking for," they said in an interview Wednesday.

Rather than a single, strong mayor, residents want thoughtful representatives that discuss issues and have an equal vote, McKenney said.

"I don't believe that any one person knows what's best for this entire city, myself included."

Mark Sutcliffe, who's also running for mayor, tweeted he would work "collaboratively" with council and that he's prepared to "build consensus" using the current system.

CBC News also contacted mayoral candidates Bob Chiarelli and Mike Maguire, who did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Brockington said his objection boils down to a single question — what problem is the premier trying to fix?

So far, the councillor said, he doesn't have an answer.

"Yes, contentious matters sometimes are complicated and challenging and take a lot of time to get through, but at the end of the day we collectively make decisions and that works."

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/strong-mayor-watson-city-council-1.6526585

[caveat.doctor]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

Not a fan of this. With the current system, we've already seen Watson run Council at his will. Conversely, we saw with O'Brien, who did not have the same strong support, or "club", as Watson, was still able to push his agenda, with the reversal of the north-south rail in favour of east-west with a tunnel, ad Lansdowne, so the current system can work, even with a mayor who does not garner the same amount of support.

Agree - though the details haven't been fully announced yet, the idea would seem to enshrine all the negative things we've seen with Mayor Watson and his being able to push things around to the detriment of the city. At least with the status quo, councillors could have opposed him, if they had the political will to; the fact that they didn't isn't so much a failure of the system but that, for whatever reason, councillors just gave in to him. This proposal would remove even this check and balance on his power.

That said, if anyone would stand to benefit, wouldn't it be Councillor McKenney if they were elected Mayor? I imagine there would be at least a few councillors who would be opposed to McKenney's initiatives; but with strong mayor powers, McKenney might be able to actually get them through. Kudos to McKenney if they see this, but still oppose the idea as a matter of democratic principle.

[YOWetal]

Originally Posted by caveat.doctor

Agree - though the details haven't been fully announced yet, the idea would seem to enshrine all the negative things we've seen with Mayor Watson and his being able to push things around to the detriment of the city. At least with the status quo, councillors could have opposed him, if they had the political will to; the fact that they didn't isn't so much a failure of the system but that, for whatever reason, councillors just gave in to him. This proposal would remove even this check and balance on his power.

That said, if anyone would stand to benefit, wouldn't it be Councillor McKenney if they were elected Mayor? I imagine there would be at least a few councillors who would be opposed to McKenney's initiatives; but with strong mayor powers, McKenney might be able to actually get them through. Kudos to McKenney if they see this, but still oppose the idea as a matter of democratic principle.

It's more democratic IMHO because the mayor is almost people are able to focus on. Councilors are reelected without a thought to the direction of the city. Bolder proposals both leftist and rightish require moving past small vocal locks opposition.

[Truenorth00]

I dislike the current system where the mayor is effectively an at-large supernumerary councillor. Yet, they have no power to implement the agenda they ran on. They are the sole elected official entrusted with the responsibility to care for the city at-large with no power to actually do that.

There's two options in my books:

1) Strong mayor system where the mayor is empowered to implement their agenda; or,

2) A parliamentary system where the mayor is the head of the dominant political faction.

Either of these systems will add accountability for governance of the whole city, beyond accountability for servicing the ward.

I'm sick of the status quo where housing doesn't get built because NIMBY councillors trade votes with each other. Transit and bike lanes aren't properly developed because pro-car councillors can fight off transit infrastructure and biking investments with horse trading. This is effectively partisan politics without team jerseys. Either make them wear colours or empower someone who can bypass them.

There are those who will point to Watson and how he got his way with council. I would argue this proves the point. Watson escapes accountability by blaming his failures on Council. And if he gets voted out or leaves, his toadies will carry on. A strong mayor system means they live or die at the polls with their agenda. Nowhere to hide. It also means councillors can't use the mayor to get their way. There will be a separation of local and city-wide interests.

[waterloowarrior]

New York, London, Paris and many other prominent cities have a strong mayor system. I don't think it would be appropriate to give part time mayors from small towns and cities those powers but for bigger cities With full time mayors with proper staffing it's worth considering.

[Truenorth00]

Seems to me that the strongest opponents to such a system are NIMBYs and progressives who believe in local democracy. I'm open to hearing alternatives. But alternative shouldn't just mean status quo, just because it works for them.

[passwordisnt123]

Originally Posted by Tesladom

In the current system, what power does the mayor have over the councilors?
I feel that the mayor simply has a vote on council just like other councilors, so it leads to the questions - what's the point of being mayor?

If you've watched many City Council meetings during the Watson era, you'll have probably seen any number of ways the mayor has inordinate power beyond the rest of council from agenda setting to being able to arbitrarily rule on process, objections, etc. For example, Watson used these powers to ensure that the public inquiry didn't become a judicial inquiry where he would be required to take an oath and secure a lawyer and things like that. Even still, in the public inquiry, we've seen how Watson has received key information from city staff that went only to him that he withheld from the rest of city council. We've also learned that he had private communications channels open only to him and his allies on council with senior staff and the upper management of the municipal public service.

No ordinary councillor has anywhere approaching that level of power to shape every aspect of council and the decisions and outcomes it generates. Now granted, you could argue that Watson is crooked as a dog's hind leg so a lot of that is not normal, and fair enough. But some of it is normal (like the procedural stuff) and it's not insignificant.

Just imagine how terrible things would be if Watson had had a veto all these years. *shudder*.