Kitchener Mayor Berry Vrbanovic wants everyone to understand that he hasn’t used strong mayor powers since the Ontario government introduced them in 2023.
Reports show cities like Windsor and Toronto have made more use of strong mayor powers compared to other large cities. The report indicated that the City of Kitchener utilized these powers 59 times, but Vrbanovic insists that’s not the complete picture.
Strong mayor powers were designed as a way for municipalities to accelerate development processes.
Each time a decision or directive is issued under these powers, it must be recorded and on a municipality’s website. This includes both vetoing council decisions made during meetings and instances where the mayor supports council’s choices.
Out of the 59 entries on Kitchener’s website, Vrbanovic pointed out that in 54 cases, he clearly stated he wouldn’t veto any council decisions. This approach lets what was agreed upon at the meeting proceed without delay, as mayors have up to 48 hours to overturn a council decision.
LISTEN | Kitchener mayor explains why it appears he’s used strong mayor powers 59 times:
The Morning Edition – K-W9:03Kitchener mayor explains why it appears he’s used strong mayor powers 59 times
Some local mayors have been given strong mayor powers by the province. Every time they’re applied, it needs to be reported on each city’s website. Kitchener’s site lists 59 occurrences where these strong mayor powers were employed. Mayor Berry Vrbanovic breaks down this number and what he believes it really signifies.
He mentioned that his initial use of strong mayor powers was mainly to confirm that council would keep operating normally.
“One of the first things mayors needed to do was say, ‘How are they going to handle [strong mayor powers],'” he said.
In Kitchener’s case, this meant that council would still appoint the chief administrative officer (CAO) and committees. It also ensured that the CAO would continue managing how things run within the City of Kitchener, according to Vrbanovic.
Cambridge Mayor Jan Liggett exercised her strong mayor authority in 2024 when she vetoed an amendment related to the city’s budget for 2025. Mayor Liggett did not respond when asked for comments.
In Guelph, Mayor Cam Guthrie employed strong mayor powers in 2023 directing the city’s CAO and treasurer to prepare a multi-year budget, along with several instances in 2024 directing updates around temporary encampments and budgeting matters.
Mayor Guthrie was unavailable for comment.
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Kitchener City Hall. Each time a decision or directive is made under strong mayor powers it has to be logged and on a municipality’s website. That includes vetoing the decisions council made during the meeting, but it also counts if the mayor approves council’s decision. (Brian St. Denis/CBC)
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No need to use strong mayor powers
Vrbanovic added his viewpoint on using these authorities hasn’t changed. “We have a council that works well together and collaborates and we have a healthy council-staff relationship and quite frankly I haven’t had the need to use them in the eight years prior to [strong mayor powers] and haven’t needed to use them in three years since,” he said. Waterloo’s Mayor Dorothy Mc Cabe has also refrained from using her strong authority since it became available in 2023. She expressed concerns about how such power might create an unhealthy environment among council members, CAOs, and others holding senior positions. “If I were using my strong mayor authority I could reach into the organization and say ‘I want to get rid of that person,’ and I think that’s not appropriate and can be really damaging to an organization,” she stated while emphasizing responsibility typically lies with the CAO. She mentioned that avoiding usage of these powerful tools hasn’t held back any developments in Waterloo.Source link
