The province wants to appoint Wayne Emmerson for another term as regional chairman before any vote from elected councillors can take place.
The province announced the move as part of legislation introduced today to adjust regional governance. The Better Municipal Governance Act appoints "facilitators" to assess regional governments, including York Region, and to consider “the best mix of roles and responsibilities between upper and lower-tier governments," as well as "strong mayor" powers.
As part of the legislation, Emmerson will be reappointed to his position, along with Niagara Region chair Jim Bradley and Peel Region chair Nando Iannicc.
“This approach will provide continuity and stability at the regional level as facilitators consider how best to extend strong mayor powers to existing two-tier municipalities that are shovel-ready and committed to growth and cutting red tape,” the province said in a news release.
Members of regional council were scheduled to elect the regional chair after their swearing-in ceremony at the inaugural meeting of the 2022-2026 council on Thursday, Nov. 17 at the York Region Administrative Centre in Newmarket.
Emmerson was the only candidate for York’s regional chair position who had publicly announced he was running. As opposed to a general election — something considered in the region in the past — York Region has a council vote on who the new chair should be.
York's director of corporate communications Patrick Casey said the region is still reviewing the legislation to "better understand the impacts on York Region."
"York Region remains committed to increasing housing options for residents across all ages and stages," Casey said. "We look forward to continued collaboration with all of our partners and stakeholders to support effective and efficient delivery of shared federal-provincial-regional priorities, including affordable housing."
The province is justifying the bill as necessary to help speed up housing development and meet its goal of building 1.5 million new homes over the next 10 years. The legislation is allowing mayors in Toronto and Ottawa to have veto power, and to propose bylaws related to provincial priorities that can pass with just more than a third of council approval. These powers are not yet widely in place, but the province has indicated plans to introduce them to other municipalities.
“These bold actions are necessary if our government is to keep its commitment to Ontarians and remove the obstacles standing in the way of much needed housing,” Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Steve Clark said in a news release. “That’s why we are again taking decisive action to provide municipal leaders the tools they need to plan for future population growth and get more homes built faster.”
The regional chairman appointment is not happening in Durham, Halton and Waterloo, which the province is also examining for strong mayor powers. All three of those regions select their chairs via general election, with incumbents winning in all three elections last month.
Both Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie and Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown spoke positively about the legislation.
“Redundancy is the enemy of productivity,” Brown said in a provincial news release. “I am glad the provincial government is looking at ways to make municipalities in Peel more efficient by removing duplication.”
York Region's inaugural council meeting is set to take place tomorrow at 1:30 p.m.
