Only Two Percent of Use of Strong Mayor Powers Had Anything to Do with Housing Starts

Doug Ford rejects call for review of strong-mayor powers in the wake of Star investigation

The Ontario premier on Thursday gave a spirited defence of his government's efforts to alleviate the housing crisis, including the one-year break on HST and reduction in development charges.

6 unexpected ways Ontario mayors used their strong powers, from pickleball to a giant flag

The Star has found that Ontario mayors have flexed their municipal muscles on projects that in many cases have nothing to do with housing.

Doug Ford gave Ontario mayors more powers to build housing. Here’s what has actually happened

The strong-mayor powers the Ford government gave to 216 Ontario mayors are quietly reshaping local democracy. But are they getting more homes built?

Only two percent of use of strong mayor powers had anything to do with housing starts

The Toronto Star has quantified what many observers of municipal politics in Ontario have observed—the strong mayor powers (SMP) given to Ontario mayors by Doug Ford have failed in  their intended purpose which was to increase housing starts in the province. A Toronto Star examination of more than 4,200 instances where strong mayor powers were used found that only two per cent of more than 4,200 strong-mayor decisions have been directly aimed at…