GORE BAY—The Mayor of Gore Bay has indicated he will not invoke the Strong Mayors Powers.
“We have a letter from the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing (MMAH) on the Strong Mayors Initiative being expanded (to include Gore Bay, the municipality of Central Manitoulin and the Town of Northeastern Manitoulin and the Islands [NEMI]),” said Gore Bay Mayor Ron Lane at a council meeting last week.
“I’ve read through the document, and I can see where it would be applicable in certain circumstances, for some communities,” said Mayor Lane. “And I’ve read cases where councils are dysfunctional, with the mayor and council, or councillors not getting along and nothing getting done.”
| Read our related story: |
| • Strong Mayor Powers (2025) |
“And I can see, for instance, in big cities like Toronto, where they have about 35 councillors and can never get consensus among council,” stated Mayor Lane. However, “we (Gore Bay) don’t have a dysfunctional council, we have a good working relationship, and I can see this continuing for future councils. This (legislation) would not be something I would be interested in seeing go ahead here.”
Town Manager Harry Schlange said, “I have been in cities where the mayor has invoked this legislative power and the rest of council feels segregated and no one on council works together. It just creates tension.”
Mayor Lane indicated he does not intend to invoke the strong mayors powers in the town of Gore Bay.
As was reported in last week’s edition of The Expositor, the province is proposing to expand strong mayor powers to the heads of council in 169 additional municipalities (effective May 1), including three on Manitoulin Island, to help deliver on provincial priorities, such as building more homes, transit, and other infrastructure across the province.
For Manitoulin Island, the municipality of Central Manitoulin, Town of Gore Bay, and Town of Northeastern Manitoulin and the Islands (NEMI) are included.
“I feel we have a high functioning council that works well together, and with staff, and I can’t imagine trying to use (the Strong Mayors Powers) it, or why it would be used here. In our situation the council debates issues and we come to the best solution and with strong consensus of the majority of council,” stated Al MacNevin, NEMI Mayor. “If you have a good functioning group like we have on council and staff I can never see using this power.”
“These additional powers could be used for some municipalities struggling that can’t get things done,” said Mayor MacNevin. “I’m not against breaking a deadlock on a vote of council. To me, (the legislation) would be a last-ditch thing.”
“In our case the process we have now has served us well over the past 20 years. Everyone on council brings forward ideas or proposals and council debates them and comes to a consensus. We don’t always agree on everything, but there is never a battle, we use common sense. And if there are any concerns raised, our CAO does research, and we bring this forward for further discussion and reach a consensus among council.”
“As long as council is functioning well, it makes no sense to use these powers, depending on the municipality,” said Mayor MacNevin.
“I’m not sure what we would ever use this expanded power for,” stated Richard Stephens, Mayor of Central Manitoulin. “I guess it would always be nice to have it in our back pocket if it is needed.”
Mayor Stephens said, “I never expected these expanded powers would ever come down to our municipalities. But we are not going to turn it down. And I can understand it being used in big cities if it is involving an important issue like finances.”
“I’m in favour of anything that gives council more power, the mayor works with council and knows the needs in the community and acts accordingly,” said Mayor Stephens.
This significant expansion reflects Ontario’s commitment to streamline local governance and help ensure municipalities have the tools they need to reduce obstacles that can stand in the way of new housing and infrastructure development. The powers would allow heads of council of single-and lower-tier municipalities with councils of six members or more to support shared provincial-municipal priorities, such as encouraging the approval of new housing and constructing and maintaining infrastructure to support housing, including roads and transit.
Ontario’s strong mayor powers, initially introduced for Toronto and Ottawa in 2022, have been gradually rolled out across the province. The province currently has 47 municipalities with these enhanced powers, which have helped to cut red tape and accelerate the delivery of key priorities in their communities. These enhanced powers come with increased accountability for heads of council and maintain essential checks and balances through the oversight of councillors.
