The City of Toronto Act, in 2006, gave the city the power to establish its own form of governance, subject to review by the Ontario Municipal Board.
The province revoked that power in 2018 with legislation unilaterally reducing the number of councillors from 47 to 25, in addition to changing the ward system.
A City Charter will restore those powers to the city and remove the provincial power of review.
To ensure that City Council is not self-serving in setting out forms and structures and that the public interest is primary, Council decisions on governance will be recommended and/or reviewed by an independent agency.
| Under a City Charter, • The city will have the exclusive authority to decide the form and structure of its government … • The city will have the exclusive authority to conduct municipal elections … • The city will have the power to adopt decision-making procedures and structures … • Council will have the power to decide on approval mechanisms … • The city will have broad powers to pass bylaws … |
To find out more information about the proposal to create a Charter City Proposal and benefits from this form of governance … click here … for the report.