How would Ontario’s plan to change Toronto politics work? An explainer
The Ontario government threw a wrench into some of the province’s municipal politics on Friday by announcing a huge reduction to the size of Toronto’s city council and the cancellation of elections for certain regional positions. The Canadian Press spoke to analysts about the plan and its implications.
What is the province proposing?
Premier Doug Ford said his Progressive Conservative government will introduce legislation to cut the number of seats on Toronto city council from 47 to 25, aligning city wards with federal and provincial ridings.
The move comes after the city wrapped a years-long consultation assessing ward boundaries. In a bid to even out the number of constituents each councillor would represent, the city opted to increase the number of wards from 44 to 47. Ford’s decision would undo that work and adopt a position that was considered but rejected.