Doug Ford Grants Strong-Mayor Powers to Waterloo Region

Ontario Premier Doug Ford has implemented strong-mayor powers across several municipalities in the Waterloo Region, including Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge, and the townships of Wilmot and Woolwich. These legislative changes allow mayors to veto motions approved by a majority of city councillors, unless a two-thirds council vote overturns the decision.

As part of the provincial shift, the government is removing the public's right to vote for the regional chair in the Waterloo Region. The elected position will be replaced by an appointed strong-chair who possesses similar veto powers. These changes arrive as the region manages several crises, including a 2025 water shortage that halted building projects, property tax increases of 29 percent since 2022, and the controversial assembly of 770 acres of farmland for an industrial mega-site in Wilmot Township.

Waterloo Mayor Dorothy McCabe has publicly opposed the new authority, stating that giving one person the power to veto or override decisions "erodes democracy." McCabe has pledged not to use the strong-mayor powers, arguing that such authority is the opposite of the collaboration and cooperation the city wants to foster with its citizens.