LONDON, Ont. — Ontario Premier Doug Ford is giving so-called strong mayor powers to 21 more municipalities and is announcing $1.2 billion in incentives for cities and towns to meet housing targets.
In a speech today at the Association of Municipalities of Ontario's conference, Ford said the moves are to help communities build at least 1.5 million homes by 2031 in order to meet the needs of the province's fast-growing population.
Strong mayor powers include allowing mayors to propose housing-related bylaws and pass them with the support of one-third of councillors, as well as override council approval of certain bylaws and prepare their city's budget, instead of council. The expansion involves municipalities with populations projected to exceed 50,000 by 2031, such as Aurora, Welland and North Bay, and puts the total number of strong mayors at 50.
Ford says the new Building Faster Fund will provide funding for municipalities that meet at least 80 per cent of their annual housing creation target assigned by the province, and money can be used to pay for housing-enabling infrastructure such as roads and water lines. Municipalities have been raising concerns about a provincial law that cuts some of the fees developers pay, which the communities use to fund such infrastructure.
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