Ford PC’s to appoint regional chairs, grant veto powers in governance overhaul
The Ontario government has introduced legislation that would allow the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing to directly appoint regional chairs in eight upper-tier municipalities and grant those appointees sweeping powers, including the ability to veto bylaws and hire or fire senior staff.
The Better Regional Governance Act, 2026, tabled Thursday, marks a significant centralization of authority over regional governments in Durham, Halton, Muskoka, Niagara, Peel, Waterloo, York, and Simcoe County.
Under the new framework, regional chairs would no longer be elected but would be selected by the province, a move the government says will ensure alignment with provincial priorities, such as housing construction. The appointed chairs would receive “strong chair powers,” mirroring the strong mayor authorities already granted to 216 lower-tier municipalities.
Those powers include the ability to propose budgets, direct staff, veto bylaws deemed to interfere with provincial priorities, and appoint or dismiss a region's chief administrative officer and division heads. The government is also reducing the size of Niagara Regional Council from 32 members to 13, and Simcoe County council from 32 to 17, changes that would take effect for the 2026-2030 term beginning Nov. 15.
Nowhere in the Progressive Conservatives' 2018, 2022, or 2025 election platforms did the party promise to appoint regional chairs or eliminate the election of those positions. The party's back-to-back campaign on a pledge to "respect taxpayers" and reduce the size of government, but did not disclose plans to unilaterally restructure regional leadership.
Opposition critics characterized the move as an undemocratic power grab.
“We have no sense of how he's going to be picking these people,” said Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles. “We've seen the track record of this government; their appointments are almost always failed conservative candidates.”
Ontario Liberal Leader John Fraser said voters would “not appreciate a Doug Ford bobble head with strong mayor powers.”
Municipal Affairs Minister Rob Flack defended the legislation, saying he would not be “handpicking” chairs but would instead look at qualifications. He said the changes are intended to ensure regional governments are “in sync” with provincial priorities.
However, a 2025 survey of civil servants across Ontario found that strong mayor powers had little to no impact on the creation of new housing, which has fallen every year since 2022. One anonymous city councillor from Toronto told The Provincial Times the province had “created a solution for a problem that didn't exist.”
The government did not provide a specific timeline for chair appointments but said the changes would be posted on the regulatory registry for consultation. Nominations for the fall municipal election open May 1.
