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A mayor in the Toronto area has used his strong mayor powers, granted by the Ford government, to reject a council decision that would have permitted four housing units as-of-right in his city. He argued that this change would strain transport networks and parking.
Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti shared his decision online to annul a density plan that had been approved by the council and was partly requested by the federal government.
The now-canceled policy would have allowed up to four units on land previously designated for just one unit. This change would have enabled homeowners to add basements, garden suites, and laneway homes to boost property density.
This policy was something the federal government encouraged Markham to adopt in order to access funding from its Housing Accelerator Fund.
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However, Scarpitti felt that implementing this change would be detrimental to his city – using his strong mayor powers to cancel the regulation.
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“It is my opinion that permitting up to four units on certain City properties could potentially interfere with provincial and City priorities, including but not limited to adversely impacting transportation networks, parking capacity,” the mayor’s decision said.
Scarpitti was unavailable for an interview on Thursday afternoon.
The strong mayor powers were introduced by the Ford government in 2022 aiming to push provincial priorities, particularly regarding housing, past any council delays.
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Just recently in April 2025, Housing Minister Rob Flack mentioned mayors would utilize their powers to enhance housing supply.
“Heads of Council are key partners in our efforts to build homes and infrastructure across the province,” he stated in an April 9 announcement.
“By extending strong mayor powers to these additional municipalities, we are providing mayors every tool at our disposal to empower them to get homes and infrastructure built faster. Mayors know their municipalities best, and we support them in taking bold actions for their communities.”
The provincial government did not reply when asked for comments prior to publication.
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