Regional chairs to receive sweeping powers

First came “strong mayors.” Now comes “strong chairs.”

Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Rob Flack is giving sweeping powers to the regional chairs the provincial government will appoint to head Ontario’s eight largest regional councils, which includes York Region.

“We will always support our municipal partners, both lower- and upper-tier, in delivering locally led solutions that offer better value for taxpayers and speed up decision making,” said Flack. “These changes provide the necessary tools for local leadership to advance our shared priorities and better serve our communities, including by expediting housing and infrastructure development.”

Currently, the heads of council of upper-tier municipalities have been selected using different methods. In Durham, Halton and Waterloo, they’ve been elected by the voters; in Peel, Muskoka and Simcoe County, they’ve been appointed by the upper-tier council; and in Niagara and York they’ve been appointed by the Minister, the government notes.

York Region Chairman and CEO Eric Jolliffe was appointed to the role by the provincial government on January 1, 2025. He had previously served as the Chief of Police for York Regional Police. “I am honoured to serve our community in this new capacity, and I look forward to collaborating with Council members, staff and residents to build upon the Region’s strengths and address the important work that lies ahead,” he said at the time.

Under the proposed Better Regional Governance Act, 2026 and related regulatory change, regional chairs in the eight municipalities would receive “strong chair” powers which mirror “strong mayor” powers, providing more efficient, streamlined local decision-making, enabling them to deliver faster results for residents and support efforts to advance shared provincial-municipal priorities, according to the government.

Among other things, the changes will reportedly allow regional chairs to hire and fire staff, including chief administrative officers, and to veto bylaws if they potentially interfered with a provincial priority. The government says it’s announcing the changes in advance of the May 1 nomination deadline to give municipalities and candidates time to prepare for the October 26 municipal election.

Photo: York Region Chairman and CEO Eric Jolliffe was appointed to the role by the provincial government on January 1, 2025. He had previously served as the Chief of Police for York Regional Police.