Doug Ford succeeds in slashing Toronto city council in half

Ontario has voted to cut the size of Toronto council by almost half, a dramatic overhaul of municipal governance that critics say will threaten the integrity of local governments and throw into chaos an election that’s already underway.

The Better Local Government Act passed in a 71-39 vote at Queen’s Park on Monday afternoon, setting the stage for epic battles between veteran politicians and likely weakening the chances of newcomers to break through.

The legislation was tabled unexpectedly, in the midst of the campaign, which started three months ago.

The bill will reduce the number of wards in Toronto from 47 to 25, aligning them with federal and provincial ridings. This means an average of almost 110,000 people will be represented by each city councillor. The legislation also cancels elections for regional chairs in Peel, York, Niagara and Muskoka.

It has already had significant effect; former chief city planner Jennifer Keesmaat unexpectedly signed up to run for mayor of Toronto after the province's intentions became clear, while former Ontario PC leader Patrick Brown, who had been planning to run in the Peel election, is now vying for mayor of Brampton.

Premier Doug Ford has predicted the move will “dramatically improve the decision making process” for local governments, something he frequently complained about during his one term as city councillor under his now deceased brother Rob Ford’s stint as mayor.

The vote came on the same day that a court date was set to hear an application for an injunction against the legislation.

Lawyer and council candidate Rocco Achampong, who is seeking the injunction, plans to argue at the end of August that the legislation violates “basic democratic rights of candidates and electors in Toronto,” according to court documents, as well as the principles of democracy and rule of law, by disrupting an ongoing election campaign.

“This is the kind of stuff you would expect from emergent democracies that are new to the voting process,” he told reporters on Tuesday. “The city of Toronto’s election at this point borders on being illegitimate and not being fair.”

Mayor John Tory and most city councillors oppose the move, and plan to meet on Monday to discuss their next move. It’s still unclear if council itself will fight the legislation in court.

"I continue to believe that the process followed to date is absolutely wrong and that you don't change the rules in the middle of an election," Tory said in a statement issued on Tuesday.

With 10 weeks until the election, NDP leader Andrea Horwath called the move by Ontario Premier Doug Ford “a blatant abuse of power.”

Ford has argued that the people of Toronto “want smaller government."

“They want a city of Toronto that is functional, a city of Toronto that can build transit,” he said in the legislature, arguing that the number of councillors has made debate on issues too long.

Cover image of Toronto Mayor John Tory, left, and Ontario Premier Doug Ford inside the Premier's office at Queen's Park in Toronto on Monday, July 9, 2018. Photo by Tijana Martin/The Canadian Press