Strong Mayor Powers

The Mayor’s powers and duties under the Municipal Act, 2001 are set out in Part VI.1 – Special Powers and Duties of Heads of Council.

Under the Strong Mayor framework, the Mayor has additional responsibilities and authority including:

• Preparing and presenting the municipal budget
• Appointing or dismissing certain senior municipal staff
• Establishing prescribed committees of Council, assigning chairs, and determining committee mandates
  • A prescribed committee consists solely of members of Council
• Bringing forward items that align with provincial priorities for Council consideration
• Vetoing by-laws passed by Council that may conflict with prescribed provincial priorities (subject to a Council override with a two-thirds majority vote)

Bill 3, the Strong Mayors, Building Homes Act, 2022, received Royal Assent on September 8, 2022 and came into force on November 23, 2022. This legislation was later extended to and additional 169 municipalities, including the Town of Perth, as of May 1, 2025.

Bill 3 and associated regulations (O. Reg. 530/22 and O. Reg. 580/22) give mayors in designated municipalities additional powers beyond those outlined in the Municipal Act, 2001.

Key elements of the legislation include:

• Veto power: The Mayor can veto a by-law passed by Council if they believe it could interfere with a prescribed provincial priority. Written notice must be provided, and Council may override the veto with a two-thirds majority vote.
• Budget authority: The Mayor must propose the municipal budget by February 1 each year. Council may propose amendments, which the Mayor can veto. Council may override any veto with a two-thirds vote. The final budget is then considered adopted by the municipality.

Bill 39, the Better Municipal Governance Act, 2022, received Royal Assent on December 8, 2022. This legislation introduced further amendments to the Municipal Act, 2001 in support of the Province’s prescribed priorities.

Under Bill 39, the Mayor may propose certain by-laws that relate to provincial priorities as defined in O. Reg. 580/22. Unlike typical municipal voting rules, these specific by-laws are considered passed if more than one-third of Council members vote in favour. This provision creates an exception to the usual majority voting requirement and is intended to accelerate decision-making in key areas.