By appointing regional chairs, Ford is giving unelected officials control over how your community is run
Premier Doug Ford has unveiled a bold new plan to change the structure of regional governance in Ontario but it includes one major flaw that must be fixed: it abandons local democracy.
The Better Regional Governance Act, 2026, was unveiled at Queen’s Park by Minister of Municipal Affairs Rob Flack last week. It makes some major changes to how regional governance will work in Niagara, Simcoe, and beyond.
The first major change the bill makes is to shrink the size of regional councils in both Niagara and Simcoe. Right now, mayors of lower-tier municipalities sit on the regional council, but regional councillors are also elected from each lower-tier municipality. In the Niagara Region, for example, the current regional council is composed of the region’s 12 mayors and 19 elected regional councillors.
The Ford government is proposing to eliminate all elected regional councillors in both Niagara and Simcoe and simply have elected lower-tier mayors make up both regional councils. This change, the Ford government reasons, will lead to greater efficiencies, with fewer politicians at the table.
Because each mayor is directly elected by the people of each lower-tier municipality, having mayors as the sole representatives on regional councils makes sense. So too does the Ford government’s proposal to give each mayor a weighted vote based on the population of their lower-tier municipality.
But those efficiencies, however real, do not address the central problem, which becomes clear in the next step of the Ford government’s reforms.
Instead of having populous regions like Durham, Halton, Muskoka, Niagara, Peel, Waterloo and York directly elect regional chairs, the Ford government is proposing to appoint them. In most regions, chairs are either elected directly by voters or chosen by elected councillors.
A regional chair serves as the head of council and chief executive officer of the region and oversees governance and services that affect hundreds of thousands of residents. Although regional councils will include elected mayors, they will be led by an individual who has never received a mandate from the people.
Instead, these regional chairs will be appointed directly by the minister of municipal affairs, creating the impression that those appointed to the roles will be answerable to the Ford government.
To add insult to injury, the Ford government is proposing to give regional chairs sweeping new powers that mirror the so-called “strong mayor” powers the province has given to most mayors throughout Ontario. Those powers were introduced to speed up housing and infrastructure decisions by giving heads of council greater control over budgets, staff and bylaws.
These appointed regional chairs will oversee the regional budget process; be able to hire and fire the chief administrative officer and department heads; create council committees; bring forward matters tied to provincial priorities for consideration; appoint chairs and vice-chairs of local boards; direct staff; and veto certain bylaws.
Perhaps giving regional chairs such significant powers could be justified if they were elected. But since these individuals will all be appointed by the minister of municipal affairs, the Ford government’s move significantly hampers the role of local democracy.
Flack tried to justify this major step backwards for local democracy by pointing to savings for taxpayers and the need for faster decision-making.
“We will always support our municipal partners, both lower- and upper-tier, in delivering locally led solutions that offer better value for taxpayers and speed up decision-making,” said Flack. “These changes provide the necessary tools for local leadership to advance our shared priorities and help serve our communities, including by expediting housing and infrastructure development.”
While the Ford government emphasizes efficiency and speed, those gains come at the cost of democratic legitimacy. Because Ontarians aren’t going to elect these regional chairs, their decision-making will lack that legitimacy.
The Ford government’s move to give significant powers to unelected officials should worry Ontarians. Voters deserve to be governed by people they can elect. Now, major regions all across Ontario will be led by provincial government appointees wielding significant new powers.
The Ford government should revise its proposed legislation. Having fewer politicians makes sense. But the practice of appointing regional chairs cannot be allowed to stand.
Jay Goldberg is a fellow with the Frontier Centre for Public Policy.
Explore more on Ford government, Municipal politics, Democracy
The views, opinions, and positions expressed by our columnists and contributors are solely their own and do not necessarily reflect those of our publication.
Troy Media empowers Canadian community news outlets by providing independent, insightful analysis and commentary. Our mission is to support local media in helping Canadians stay informed and engaged by delivering reliable content that strengthens community connections and deepens understanding across the country.
