Mayoral Powers, Decisions and Directions under the Municipal Act (Strong Mayor Powers)

Effective May 1, 2025, the Province of Ontario extended Mayoral Powers and Duties Under the Municipal Act, also known as Strong Mayor Powers, to the Town of Bracebridge.

Strong Mayor Powers offer resources to heads of council to accelerate the implementation of key shared municipal-provincial priorities such as housing, transit, and infrastructure.

Under Part VI.1 of the Municipal Act, the Mayor has the following special powers and duties as the head of Council:

• Appointing the municipality’s Chief Administrative Officer.*
• Hiring certain municipal department heads and establishing and reorganizing departments.*
• Creating committees of Council, assigning their functions and appointing the chairs and vice-chairs of committees of Council.*
• Proposing the municipal budget, which would be subject to Council amendments and a Mayoral veto and Council override process.
• Vetoing certain bylaws if the Mayor is of the opinion that all or part of the by-law could potentially interfere with a provincial priority.
• Bringing forward matters for Council consideration if the Mayor is of the opinion that considering the matter could potentially advance a provincial priority.

*The Mayor may choose to delegate these specific powers and duties.

The Mayor is required to exercise these powers in writing and make them available to the public, subject to the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protections of Privacy Act. A public listing of Mayoral Decisions and Directions is available in the chart below.

Mayoral Decision/Direction Registry

Mayoral decisions and directions made pursuant to the Municipal Act. 

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