Affront to democracy déjà vu

July 20, 2022

TORONTO — Ontario Greens leader and Guelph MPP, Mike Schreiner, made the following statement on Premier Ford's support for “strong mayor” systems:

“Doug Ford is starting off his second term as Premier with yet another attack on local democracy and the people of Toronto and Ottawa.

Premier Ford and the Progressive Conservatives did not campaign on this change.

Steamrolling voices and concentrating power at the top is not the answer.  

And now they are exploiting the need for more housing as reasoning for their effort to weaken local democracy.

The provincial government has many tools at their disposal to build housing supply in cities without increasing sprawl, including several recommendations made by their own Housing Affordability Task Force. For example, ending exclusionary zoning and investing in affordable supply.

A diversity of viewpoints is what makes democratic governments representative of the people that they serve.

Attacking local democracy is not a solution to Ontario’s housing crisis.”

-30-