Official Opposition
66-398: 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. While in office, mayors are styled His/Her Worship . Olivia Chow has served as the 66th and current mayor of Toronto since July 12, 2023, after winning
132-451: 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. 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. From May until July 2014, Ford took a leave of absence from the mayoralty to enter drug rehabilitation . The current City of Toronto
198-441: A candidate in the next regular election, so that the appointed councillor does not gain an unfair incumbency advantage. Council cannot impose this restriction on appointees but nonetheless it usually factors into the debate. There have been instances in which appointed councillors have done so; most notably, Paul Ainslie did so in 2006 by running for re-election in a different ward than the one where he had been appointed, and after
264-703: A community council. Community councils report to City Council but they also have final decision-making power on certain items, such as front yard parking and appointments to local boards and Business Improvement Areas. The city is divided into four community councils. Their meeting locations are as follows: The current council term began on November 15, 2022. Chair, Toronto & East York Community Council Mayor's Small Business Champion Mayor's Economic Development & Culture Champion Chair, City-School Boards Advisory Committee Chair, Scarborough Community Council Mayor's Night Economy Champion Chair, Infrastructure & Environment Committee Vacancies in
330-468: A councillor's seat may be filled in one of two ways, either by the holding of a by-election or through direct appointment of an interim councillor chosen by the council in an internal vote. Normally the council is allowed to decide which process to follow in each individual case; however, if the vacancy occurs after March 31 in the year of a regularly scheduled municipal election, then the vacancy must be filled by direct appointment as provincial law prohibits
396-528: A final vote. The full council can, however, reject the community council's recommendation and choose a different candidate instead; in 2013, for example, the city council passed over former member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) Chris Stockwell , the recommended candidate of the Etobicoke Community Council, in favour of Peter Leon . Usually, although there is no legal barrier to doing so, candidates for appointment are asked if they intend to run as
462-483: Is not barred from running in the next regular municipal election. In the event of a vacancy in the mayor's office, the deputy mayor is immediately elevated to acting mayor on an interim basis until the permanent new mayor is selected in a by-election. Unlike a city council seat, however, a by-election must always be held, unless the vacancy occurs less than 90 days before a regular municipal election. The situation does not trigger additional council vacancies, however;
528-461: Is a member of all committees and is entitled to one vote. There are three types of committees at the City of Toronto: the executive committee, four other standing committees, and special committees of council. The executive committee is an advisory body chaired by the mayor. The executive committee is composed of the mayor, deputy mayor, and the chairs of the four standing committees who are appointed by
594-488: 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. 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 . The Better Municipal Governance Act , which
660-474: Is now assigned to the mayor. The mayor proposes the budget to council, which can adopt it or propose amendments. Certain powers of the mayor can only be exercised in order to "advance provincial priorities", as outlined in the Better Municipal Governance Act , the Strong Mayors Act and through regulation. While city by-law allows the mayor to add items directly to council's agenda, this power
726-698: Is the cabinet of the Canadian province of Ontario . It comprises ministers of the provincial Crown , who are selected by the premier of Ontario (the first minister of the Crown) and appointed by the lieutenant governor . The activities of the Government of Ontario are directed by the Executive Council. The Executive Council is almost always made up of members of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario . Though
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#1732847856187792-452: 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
858-560: The 2023 by-election . The role and powers of the mayor of Toronto are set out in the 1997 City of Toronto Act , an Ontario statute, and its update in 2006. It outlines the mayor's role as head of council and chief executive officer of the City of Toronto . In September 2022, the province passed legislation known as the Strong Mayors, Building More Homes Act, 2022 , followed by the Better Municipal Governance Act, 2022 , both of which expanded
924-517: The High Park area, then resold them to a developer. Grys then helped get rezoning for the area to allow developers to increase the number of units they could build, without disclosing his interest. Alderman John Sewell learned of the Grys purchases through a resident of the area. Grys launched a lawsuit against Sewell but it was dropped. Grys was defeated in 1972, the same election that Reformer David Crombie
990-423: 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. Items can be added by the mayor directly to city council's agenda without going through a committee. Additionally,
1056-536: The federal Cabinet is actually a committee of the Privy Council, the Executive Council of Ontario and Cabinet of Ontario are one and the same. Also, unlike the Privy Council, members of the Ontario Executive Council are not appointed for life, and are not entitled to post-nominal letters . Doug Ford and his Cabinet were sworn in by Lieutenant Governor Elizabeth Dowdeswell on June 29, 2018, following
1122-653: The mayor of Toronto . The current term began on November 15, 2022. The current decision-making framework and committee structure at the City of Toronto was established by the City of Toronto Act, 2006 and came into force January 1, 2007. The decision-making process at the City of Toronto involves committees that report to City Council. Committees propose, review and debate policies and recommendations before their arrival at City Council for debate. Citizens and residents can only make deputations on policy at committees, citizens cannot make public presentations to City Council. The mayor
1188-466: The 1950s and 1960s as the Anglo Tory lock on power faded in the increasingly diverse city. In 1952, Orangeman Allan Lamport became the first Liberal elected mayor in over 40 years. He resigned to become TTC chair and his administration was implicated in a municipal corruption scandal. In 1954, Leslie Saunders , another Orangeman became interim mayor. His staunch defence of Protestantism became an issue in
1254-471: The 1954 election. Nathan Phillips , a long-serving Jewish alderman, was elected mayor. He was a staunch Tory. His religion was an important issue in the election, in which his opponent proclaimed himself to be running as " Leslie Saunders , Protestant". The Orange Order influence dropped sharply. Only seven of 23 councillors elected that year were members of the Orange Order. Phillips was dubbed "Mayor of all
1320-489: The Clerk's office: City clerk staff are seated in the diamond shaped table located in front of the speaker's podium in the council chambers. City Council has a sergeant-at-arms , who is present at each council and committee meeting as per Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 27-50 to ensure order and safety of all members. In 2014 a second post was created to have two sergeants-at-arms present during council meetings. They are posted on
1386-412: The Orange Order to be a Toronto mayor. In the late 1960s and 1970s, a new division arose on city council between two groups that became known as the "Reformers" and the "Old Guard". Both groups crossed party lines and were divided by their approach to urban issues. The Reform faction arose in opposition to the urban renewal schemes that had been in favour in the previous decades. Two key battles were over
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#17328478561871452-503: The People" and governed in a non-partisan manner. During his term, Phillips enraged the Order by accepting funding from O'Keefe Brewing for the new O'Keefe Centre auditorium. In 1956, Phillips initiated the international architectural competition for a new City Hall. In 1966, former CCF Member of Provincial Parliament William Dennison was elected mayor. He was an Orangeman and the last member of
1518-402: The appointment process is seen as less expensive for the city to undertake. When the appointment process is followed, people who are interested in the appointment are asked to submit their names to the local community council for the area where the vacant seat is located; the community council then evaluates and interviews the applicants, and submits a recommendation to the full city council for
1584-461: The beginning of the Cold War and staunch opposition from the other political groups, the communist presence quickly disappeared. The last communist alderman lost his seat in 1950. The first part of the 20th century was the era of the newspaper slates . Each of the daily newspapers would endorse a full slate of candidates for office. The two most influential were the right-wing Toronto Telegram and
1650-520: The city approved a re-organization to Council changing the number of wards to six; each ward was known by a number. Each ward elected four aldermen. Over the next three decades three new wards were added, one each in the north, east, and west, as new areas were annexed to the City of Toronto. In 1896, the Board of Control executive branch of Council was established to handle all daily council business and report to Council. Mayor Robert John Fleming presided over
1716-476: The city manager (who is the chief administrative officer) and the heads of city divisions. 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. The power to draft the annual city budget
1782-428: The city the other for Metro. In the next election, a separate set of wards was established for Metro councillors. Each Metro ward consisted of two city wards, each electing only one councillor. With the amalgamation of the City of Toronto with the suburban municipalities of Metro in 1997, the councils of the six former cities were abolished. The new council for the "megacity" kept the ward map of Metro Toronto but doubled
1848-461: The city together. 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
1914-452: The city's chief executive officer, representing the city, and special privileges during council sessions. The deputy mayor also assumes responsibility for the administrative management of the mayor's office. The deputy mayor does not become "acting" or "interim" mayor, nor does the deputy mayor assume the "strong-mayor" powers, which are granted by the province to the head of council, a role which remains vacant. In 2014, city council approved
1980-399: The city, and its members had considerably more power than the city councillors. In 1969, the Board of Control was abolished and the four controllers were replaced by four new councillors from two new wards. The ward map was rebalanced to give more equitable representation. In 1985, the system of electing Metro councillors was changed so that two separate ballots were held in each ward, one for
2046-484: The city. Before the passage of the Strong Mayors Act , Toronto's government operated on what has been described as a "weak-mayor" system where all powers were vested in Council as a whole. In order to advance policy objectives, the mayor had to act as a consensus builder. The Strong Mayors Act shifted Toronto's government structure into one which resembles a " strong-mayor " system, assigning several administrative powers to
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2112-416: The council. Beyond these few exceptions, the slates of all the papers were largely made up of male, white, Conservative, Orangemen. Many candidates also appeared on the slates of several newspapers. With the exception of James Simpson , who became Toronto's first socialist mayor in 1935, the city's mayors were Tories in the first half of the 20th century. The character of Toronto politics began to change in
2178-435: The creation of 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
2244-416: The deputy mayor is not deemed to have vacated their council seat during the acting period, and a sitting councillor who runs in the mayoral by-election does not have to resign their council seat unless they win the election. Three vacancies occurred during the 2010-14 council term. Doug Holyday resigned from council in 2013 after winning election to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in a byelection, and
2310-497: The downtown areas covered by Ward 4 and Ward 5, especially in the heavily Jewish areas of Kensington Market and the Garment District around Spadina Avenue and further west along College and up to Christie Pits including what is now Little Italy . The peak of communist influence was in the 1946 election when leader Stewart Smith was elected to the Board of Control and three other communists won seats on city council. With
2376-416: The federal ridings (electoral districts) that covered Toronto. Each riding was split in half to create a 44-ward system. The current ward names are based on the federal and provincial electoral districts, but some no longer shared the same name as those district names have changed since 2000. When the City of Toronto was incorporated in 1834, a city council was created. It provided direct representation in
2442-426: The first Board of Control. Eventually, the numbers of aldermen was reduced to two aldermen per ward as the number of wards was increased. When a higher level of municipal government, Metro Toronto , was introduced in 1953, the alderman with the most votes of the two elected councillors from each ward was also a member of Metro Council. Until 1955 municipal elections were held annually, either on New Year's Day or on
2508-451: The first Monday in December. In 1955 council moved to two-year terms, and in 1982 three-year terms were introduced. Along with the other municipalities of Ontario, Toronto moved to a four-year municipal term in 2006. Starting in 1904 the Board of Control was elected directly. Until 1969 there was a four-person Board of Control in addition to city council. The board was elected at large across
2574-754: The floor or near the entrances beside the speaker's desk. Toronto was divided into a group of wards, each named after a Christian saint. In 1834, the city had five wards and the number of wards would expand to nine by 1891. While out of use for over a century, these ward names continue to appear in neighbourhood names and subway stations and, until the 1990s, provincial electoral districts. The old wards and their boundaries in their final form, used from 1871 to 1891, were: By 1891, there were 13 wards, with three aldermen elected per ward: St. Alban's, St. Andrew's, St. David's, St. George's, St. James's, St. John's, St. Lawrence's, St. Mark's, St. Matthew's, St. Patrick's, St. Paul's, St. Stephen's, and St. Thomas's. When Yorkville
2640-537: The government of Toronto to the population. The Town of York had been governed by the then-province of Upper Canada , with electoral representation in the Upper Canada assembly. The first councils were elected yearly. Each of the five wards elected two aldermen and two common councillors by the votes of male householders. The first councils were dominated by two factions: the Family Compact and its loyalists; and
2706-423: The holding of a by-election in the final six months of a council term. Vacancies in the office of mayor must be filled by by-election unless the vacancy occurs after March 31 in an election year, in which case council appoints. There is no appointment option for mayoral vacancies before that time. The process often results in public debate, however. The by-election process is widely seen as more democratic, while
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2772-526: The lieutenant governor does not generally attend Cabinet meetings, directives issued by the Crown on the advice of the ministers are said to be ordered by the Lieutenant Governor-in-Council . Ministers hold the honorific prefix " The Honourable " while members of the council. The Cabinet is similar in structure and role to the federal Privy Council for Canada , though smaller in size, and, whereas
2838-571: 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. 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
2904-501: The mayor and three "at-large" members appointed by City Council. The role of the executive committee is to set the City of Toronto's priorities, manage financial planning and budgeting, labour relations, human resources, and the operation of City Council. The committee existed in the old City of Toronto beginning in 1969. Before that Toronto had a Board of Control , as did former cities North York and Etobicoke . The executive committee makes recommendations to city council on: Following
2970-413: 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. When the office of Mayor of Toronto is vacant, the deputy mayor assumes limited mayoral powers which are granted to the mayor by city council, to ensure city business can continue to be carried out. This includes acting as
3036-404: The mayor which were previously held by City Council or an officer of the city. 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 the 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
3102-401: The mayor, or on an honorary basis. The first deputy mayor performs the statutory roles and functions assigned to the "deputy mayor" as defined in various chapters of the municipal code. 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
3168-593: 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. There have been two women (Hall and Rowlands) and three Jewish mayors (Phillips, Givens and Lastman). Art Eggleton
3234-463: The more left-leaning Toronto Daily Star . In the early parts of the century, the duelling papers ran the communications portion of the campaign of the candidates they supported, using yellow journalism to extol those they supported and denigrate those they opposed. The newspaper slates did not have a unified ideology: all the papers claimed to be seeking a balanced council, making sure that groups such as labour and Roman Catholics had representation on
3300-605: The next century, the Tories dominated Toronto municipal politics, as they did the other levels in "Tory Toronto". The Tories were associated with staunch Protestantism, shown through membership in the Orange Order , and support for the Lord's Day Act . In the 1930s, various forms of left-wing opposition arose to the Tory-dominated council. The Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF)
3366-413: The number of councillors by adopting the system of electing two councillors from each ward. East York had only one ward and was thus greatly underrepresented. Former East York mayor Michael Prue lobbied successfully for a third councillor to be elected from that ward, and this was implemented mid-term. This system was only used for the first megacity election. In 2000 a new ward map was devised based on
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#17328478561873432-519: The proposal for the Spadina Expressway and the replacement of the Trefann Court neighbourhood with a housing project. The Reformers opposed the destruction of existing neighbourhoods and followed the urban theories of recent Toronto arrival Jane Jacobs . The Old Guard supported new highways and housing projects, in part because of their close ties to the development industry. The debate between
3498-507: The reformers under the leadership of William Lyon Mackenzie , Member of Parliament for York. Mackenzie won election to Council and was elected by Council as the city's first mayor, but was defeated in the next election, after proposing increased taxation. After the defeat of the Upper Canada Rebellion in 1837, the reformers were marginalized, as several were executed for treason, and others, such as Mackenzie, went into exile. For
3564-482: The salary of the mayor and city councillors and is annually adjusted to the Consumer Price Index (CPI). In 2022, the salary of a councillor is $ 120,502.20 and the salary of the mayor is $ 202,948.20. The city clerk is the senior administrative officer of the municipal government of Toronto . The city clerk is charged with building public trust and confidence in the city government. There are five divisions in
3630-441: The sudden decision by the provincial government to reduce the size of City Council in summer 2018, the committee structure went under review. Before December 1, 2018, there were eleven other committees that reported to Toronto City Council. As of the 2022-2026 term, the four standing policy committees are: There are five other committees that report to Council: Source: City of Toronto All members of Toronto City Council serve on
3696-557: The two groups became the central issue of the 1969 municipal election with mayoral candidate Margaret Campbell running on an explicit reform platform. Campbell lost the mayoralty, but on City Council, six veteran members of the Old Guard were defeated. One example of the close ties was revealed in 1971; a conflict of interest case of alderman Ben Grys, who chaired the Buildings and Development Committee. His wife Gladys, bought properties in
3762-415: The ward boundaries were adjusted in 2018, former ward 28 councillor Lucy Troisi ran in the new ward 13 against the former ward 27's elected incumbent Kristyn Wong-Tam . Peter Leon considered registering as a candidate in the 2014 election following his appointment as an interim councillor in 2013, but ultimately did not do so. If a full byelection is pursued, however, then the winner of that by-election
3828-544: Was annexed in 1883, it became St. Paul's Ward (named for Paul the Apostle or Saint Paul). When Riverdale was annexed in 1884, it became St. Matthew's Ward (named for Matthew the Apostle or Saint Matthew). Brockton was also annexed in 1884, and it became the ward of St. Mark's (named for Mark the Evangelist or Saint Mark). When Parkdale was annexed in 1889, it became St. Alban's Ward (named for Saint Alban ). In June 1891,
3894-443: Was delegated by council before 2022), and assigning their functions. Without the need for a motion by council, city staff can also be directed by the mayor to produce reports, develop policy and provide advice for city council to consider. The mayor is also responsible for determining the organizational structure of the city. This includes the ability to create or dissolve city divisions, and appoint or terminate executive staff such as
3960-497: Was elected mayor. Crombie was mayor until 1978 and during his term, the city enacted a holding by-law to curb the development industry. In 1978, Crombie was succeeded by Sewell as mayor. Executive Council of Ontario [REDACTED] Canada portal The Executive Council of Ontario ( French : Conseil des ministres de l'Ontario ), often informally referred to as the Cabinet of Ontario (French: Cabinet de l'Ontario ),
4026-435: 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. Norm Kelly (2013–2014) Jennifer McKelvie (2022–2023) Toronto City Council Toronto City Council is the governing body of the municipal government of Toronto , Ontario. Meeting at Toronto City Hall , it comprises 25 city councillors and
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#17328478561874092-449: Was founded in 1932. The pro-labour social democratic party found support in various working-class areas of Toronto and several of its members were elected to city council. Unaffiliated anti-poverty activists like May Birchard also were elected to Council in this era. An important faction in Toronto politics in the 1930s and 1940s were the communists. There was considerable communist support in
4158-641: 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. The most sweeping change
4224-422: 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
4290-470: Was passed shortly after the Strong Mayors Act further expands this power, allowing the mayor to pass a by-law for the purpose of advancing a provincial priority with one-third support on council. The provincial priorities are set by the Executive Council of Ontario (provincial cabinet), through issuing regulations. City councillors may be appointed by the mayor to exercise statutory powers assigned to
4356-581: Was succeeded by Peter Leon. Adam Vaughan resigned from council in 2014 to contest a federal byelection for the House of Commons , and was succeeded by Ceta Ramkhalawansingh . Peter Milczyn resigned in 2014 after winning election to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in the 2014 election and was succeeded by James Maloney . Since amalgamation there are five instances that a councillor died while in office: The Toronto Municipal Code, Chapter 223 sets
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