Toronto Mayor John Tory says his collaborative style of leadership won’t change despite the new proactive veto that allows him and eight councillors to overrule the majority.
Most issues outside of city-wide housing and transit matters will still be decided by a majority council vote, he said.
“I will also say that we have our work to do in an urgent crisis to get housing built,” Tory said Friday. “And sometimes where there are urgent situations it requires extraordinary measures to make sure that you can get the things done.”
The Doug Ford government has drawn the criticism of political opponents and many members of Toronto Council over its decision to allow Tory to change bylaws with the supporting votes of just eight of the 25 councillors.
Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Steve Clark said he introduced Bill 39, which would enshrine the voting change, at the request of Tory.
The Mayor said he was elected with a strong mandate across the city to address the housing crisis and ensure homes get built with minimum delay.
“And so, those discussions (with the Ford government) took place, not involving me personally but involving members of my staff and others, and now the matter’s in front of the legislature and we will go from there,” Tory said.
All Toronto Council is unanimous in another housing-related provincial Act, Bill 23 which would make numerous changes that councillors argue would drain the city coffers of funds needed to make infrastructure improvements and reduce the amount of affordable housing, particularly deeply affordable housing.
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Tory said council has forwarded its demands for amendments to the provincial government and discussions took place as recently as Friday morning.
“You are taking money that was intended for the City of Toronto to build needed infrastructure, whether it be child care or transit or roads or a host of other things, you are leaving it in the pockets of developers and there is no guarantee in return for that particular deal, if I can call it that, that more housing’s going to get built,” Tory said.
Clark has said the provincial government is giving municipalities the tools they need to get housing built.
The Ford government ran on a pledge to get 1.5 million homes built over a decade to address the housing crisis.
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