Jump to content

Mayor of Toronto

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by WildComet (talk | contribs) at 01:18, 17 November 2022 (→‎Deputy mayor). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

This article is about the office. For the current holder, see John Tory. For a list of mayors of Toronto and heads of its former municipalities, see List of mayors of Toronto, List of reeves and mayors of the former municipalities in Toronto and Chairman of the Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto.

Mayor of Toronto
Municipal wordmark
Incumbent
John Tory
since December 1, 2014
City of Toronto
Office of the Mayor
StyleHis/Her Worship
Member ofToronto City Council
SeatToronto City Hall
AppointerDirect election
Term length4 years;
renewable
Constituting instrumentCity of Toronto Act
Inaugural holderWilliam Lyon Mackenzie (historic)
Mel Lastman (post-amalgamation)
FormationMarch 6, 1834 (historic)
December 1, 1998 (current)
SalaryCA$202,948.20[1]
Websitewww.toronto.ca/mayor
Part of the series on
Politics of Toronto
Municipal politics
Federal election results
Other
flag Ontario portal

The mayor of Toronto is the head of Toronto City Council and chief executive officer of the municipal government. The mayor is elected alongside city council every four years on the fourth Monday of October; there are no term limits.[2] While in office, mayors are styled His/Her Worship.[3]

John Tory has served as the 65th and current mayor of Toronto since taking office on December 1, 2014, following the 2014 mayoral election. Tory was re-elected to a third term in 2022.

Role and authority

Much of the role and powers of the mayor of Toronto are set out in the City of Toronto Act, which was first introduced in 1997 and overhauled in 2006, which outlines the mayor's role as head of council and chief executive officer of the City of Toronto. In 2022, the province introduced legislation known as the Strong Mayors, Building More Homes Act, which further expanded the executive power of the mayor.

As head of council, the mayor is responsible for ensuring business is carried out efficiently during council meetings. This has been delegated to the speaker of Toronto City Council, however, the mayor retains the ability to take over as chair during council meetings.[4] Items can be added by the mayor directly to city council's agenda without going through a committee.[5] Additionally, the mayor also holds ex officio membership on all council committees, chairs the Executive Committee, Striking Committee and the Civic Appointments Committee. The mayor has the power to appoint the chairs of other city committees as well as the deputy mayor.[4][6] With the consent of the mayor, another member of council may take the mayor's place on committees. The head of council is also responsible for declaring states of emergency in the city.[7][8][9]

Before the passage of the Strong Mayors Act, Toronto's government operated on what has been described as a "weak-mayor" system where many of the city's powers rests with council as a whole, with the mayor's statutory role being limited to ceremonial functions. In order to advance policy objectives, the mayor uses the position of leadership to act as a consensus builder.[6][10] The Strong Mayors Act shifted Toronto's government structure into one which resembles a "strong-mayor" system, assigning several administrative powers to the mayor which were previously held by city council or an officer of the city.[11]

The Strong Mayors Act expands the mayor's role in managing city council's committee system and the overall organization of the city. Much of the work of city council is done in committees. The mayor sets out this structure by creating and dissolving committees, appoints their chairs and vice-chairs (this is a power that was delegated by council before 2022), and assigning their functions.[11][6][12] The mayor is also responsible for determining the organizational structure, and has the ability to create or dissolve city divisions and appoint and terminate executive staff such as the city manager (who is the chief administrative officer) and general managers (who head city divisions).[NB 1][10][5] City staff can also be directed by the mayor to develop policy and provide advice for city council to consider.[12][10]

Developing the annual budget of the City of Toronto is another key function of the mayor. Previously, the power to set the budget was a function of city council, which was assigned to the Budget Committee, allowing the mayor to exercise significant influence on the budget process.[5] The power to draft the annual city budget is now assigned to the mayor. The mayor proposes the budget to council, which can adopt it or propose amendments.[10][5]

Certain powers of the mayor can only be exercised in order to "advance provincial priorities",[10] as outlined in the Strong Mayors Act and through regulation.[11] While city by-law allows the mayor to add items directly to council's agenda, this power is expanded by the Strong Mayors Act, which asserts that the mayor can do so to advance a provincial priority, irrespective of council's procedural by-law.[10] The mayor is also granted a veto, which would allow an override of a city council decision if it is not consistent with a provincial priority, however, council can override the mayor's veto with a two-thirds majority vote.[11][12] Provincial priorities are set by the provincial cabinet, through issuing regulations.[10]

Deputy mayor

Statutory deputy mayor

The first deputy mayor performs the statutory roles and functions assigned to the "deputy mayor" as defined in various chapters of the municipal code.[13] The first deputy mayor is a member of council who is appointed to the role by the mayor, and assists him/her as vice-chair of the executive committee and acts as mayor when the mayor is away, ill or the office of the mayor is vacant. The deputy mayor has all the rights, power and authority of the mayor, save and except the "by-right-of-office powers" of the mayor as a member of a community council.[4]

Deputy mayor Term start Area represented/policy role Constituency as councillor
Jennifer McKelvie November 16, 2022 Statutory deputy mayor Ward 25 – Scarborough—Rouge Park [14]

Non-statutory deputy mayors

In 2014, city council approved the creation three additional non-statutory deputy mayor positions. Non-statutory deputy mayors are members of council, appointed by the mayor, who advise him/her on local issues and represent him/her at events and ceremonies. Each (along with the first deputy mayor) represent a geographic area of the city, and are responsible for a specific policy role. The deputy mayors and the mayor meet each month to discuss efforts to bring the city together.[15]

History

From 1834 to 1857, and again from 1867 to 1873, Toronto mayors were not elected directly by the public. Instead, after each annual election of aldermen and councilmen, the assembled council would elect one of their members as mayor. For all other years, mayors were directly elected by popular vote, except in rare cases where a mayor was appointed by council to fill an unexpired term of office. Prior to 1834, Toronto municipal leadership was governed by the chairman of the General Quarter Session of Peace of the Home District Council.

Through 1955 the term of office for the mayor and council was one year; it then varied between two and three years until a four-year term was adopted starting in 2006. (See List of Toronto municipal elections.)

The City of Toronto has changed substantially over the years: the city annexed or amalgamated with neighbouring communities or areas 49 times from in 1883 to 1967.[16] The most sweeping change was in 1998, when the six municipalities comprising Metropolitan Toronto—East York, Etobicoke, North York, Scarborough, York, and the former city of Toronto–and its regional government were amalgamated into a single City of Toronto (colloquially dubbed the "megacity") by an act of the provincial government. The newly created position of mayor for the resulting single-tier mega-city replaced all of the mayors of the former Metro municipalities. It also abolished the office of the Metro chairman, which had formerly been the most senior political figure in the Metro government before amalgamation.

Fourteen out of the first 29 mayors were lawyers, and 58 of Toronto's 64 mayors (up to Ford) have been Protestant, white, English-speaking, Anglo-Saxon, property-owning males.[17] There have been two women (Hall and Rowlands) and three Jewish mayors (Phillips, Givens[18] and Lastman).

Art Eggleton is the longest-serving mayor of Toronto, serving from 1980 until 1991. Eggleton later served in federal politics from 1993 until 2004, and was appointed to the Senate of Canada in 2005. David Breakenridge Read held the post of mayor of Toronto for the shortest period. Read was mayor for only fifty days in 1858.

No Toronto mayor has been removed from office. Toronto's 64th mayor, Rob Ford, lost a conflict of interest trial in 2012, and was ordered to vacate his position; but the ruling was stayed pending an appeal, which Ford won to remain in office.[19][20] Due to his substance abuse admission and controversy in 2013, Council stripped him of many powers on November 15, transferring them to the deputy mayor.[21] From May until July 2014, Ford took a leave of absence from the mayoralty to enter drug rehabilitation.

Post-amalgamation mayors of Toronto

The current City of Toronto was formed in 1998 from the amalgamation of Metro Toronto and its constituent municipalities. The following is a list of mayors of the current post amalgamation Toronto. It does not include mayors of the former, pre-1998 Toronto, metro chairs, or the mayor/reeves of amalgamated municipalities.

List of Mayors of Toronto since 1998 amalgamation
No. since 1834/1998 Portrait Mayor Terms of office Start and end of term Prior political experience
62 1 Mel Lastman 2 January 1, 1998

–

November 30, 2003

North York Board of Control (1970–1973)

Mayor of North York (1973–1997)

Metro councillor (1970–1997)[22]

63 2 David Miller 2 December 1, 2003

–

November 30, 2010

Metro councillor for High Park (1994–1997),

City councillor for Ward 19 (High Park) (1997–2000)

City councillor for Ward 13 (High Park) (2000–2003)

64 3 Rob Ford 1 December 1, 2010

–

November 30, 2014

City councillor for Ward 2 (Etobicoke North) (2000–2010)
65 4 John Tory 3 December 1, 2014

–

Incumbent

Leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario (2004–2009)

Member of Provincial Parliament for Dufferin—Peel—Wellington—Grey (2005–2007)

Ontario Leader of the Official Opposition (2005–2007)

See also

Notes

  1. ^ The mayor's power to hire and dismiss city staff do not apply to certain officials including: the city clerk or deputy clerk, the treasurer or deputy treasurer. the integrity commissioner. the ombudsman. the auditor general, the chief building official, the chief of police, the fire chief, the medical officer of health, and other officials defined in statute.

References

  1. ^ "Budgets and Expense Reports". City of Toronto. August 22, 2017. Retrieved April 8, 2022.
  2. ^ "AMO – Ontario Municipal Elections". www.amo.on.ca. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
  3. ^ "How to Address the Mayor & Dignitaries". City of Toronto. March 27, 2018. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
  4. ^ a b c "City of Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 27" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on May 9, 2019.
  5. ^ a b c d "These are the new powers the Ford government wants to give Toronto's mayor". CP24. August 10, 2022. Retrieved November 2, 2022.
  6. ^ a b c Jones, Ryan Patrick (October 5, 2022). "How will Toronto and Ottawa's new 'strong mayor' powers work?". CBC News.
  7. ^ "The Roles of the Mayor and City Council" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on May 23, 2019.
  8. ^ "2020 Program Summary Office of the Mayor" (PDF).
  9. ^ "My local government it's for me" (PDF).
  10. ^ a b c d e f g Mascarin, John; Bilas, Jennifer (September 12, 2022). "Strong Mayors – Shifting the Municipal Governance Model". Aird & Berlis LLP. Retrieved November 2, 2022.
  11. ^ a b c d "The Strong Mayors Act, and its (potentially) unique impact on the 2022 Ontario Municipal Elections in Toronto and Ottawa | McCarthy Tétrault". www.mccarthy.ca. Retrieved November 2, 2022.
  12. ^ a b c "City of Toronto Act, 2006, S.O. 2006, c. 11, Sched. A". Ontario.ca. July 24, 2014. Retrieved November 2, 2022.
  13. ^ "Deputy Mayor – Council Speaker – Deputy Speaker". Archived from the original on May 23, 2019.
  14. ^ "John Tory appoints Jennifer McKelvie as Toronto's new deputy mayor". thestar.com. November 16, 2022. Retrieved November 17, 2022.
  15. ^ Alcoba, Natalie (January 24, 2015). "John Tory's plan 'to bring the city together': Four deputy mayors — one from each region of Toronto". National Post. Retrieved April 8, 2022.
  16. ^ Derek Hayes (2008). Historical Atlas of Toronto. pp. 90–91. ISBN 978-1-55365-290-8.
  17. ^ Mark Maloney (January 3, 2010). "Toronto's mayors: Scoundrels, rogues and socialist". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on January 11, 2013. Retrieved September 4, 2017.
  18. ^ Globe Staff (November 26, 1963). "Givens Mayor by Unanimous Vote". The Globe & Mail. Toronto. p. 1.
  19. ^ "Toronto Mayor Rob Ford to appeal his ouster". CTV News. November 26, 2012. Archived from the original on November 29, 2012. Retrieved February 16, 2013.
  20. ^ Magder v. Ford, 2013 ONSC 263, 113 OR (3d) 241 (25 January 2013), Superior Court of Justice (Ontario, Canada)
  21. ^ Mendleson, Rachel; Peter Edwards (November 18, 2013). "Rob Ford stripped of power as mayor by Toronto council". The Toronto Star. Archived from the original on December 7, 2013. Retrieved November 18, 2013.
  22. ^ Star Staff (December 5, 1972). "Mel Lastman sweeps North York". The Toronto Star. pp. 1, 11. All municipal elected officials that won in the 4 DEC 1972 election took office on 1 JAN 1973.

Cite error: A list-defined reference named "to-definition" is not used in the content (see the help page).
Cite error: A list-defined reference named "ts" is not used in the content (see the help page).
Cite error: A list-defined reference named "counsel" is not used in the content (see the help page).
Cite error: A list-defined reference named "dem" is not used in the content (see the help page).

Cite error: A list-defined reference named "star17" is not used in the content (see the help page).

Further reading

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mayor_of_Toronto&oldid=1122330793"