Port Hope Mayor comments on Strong Mayor powers

Port Hope Mayor Olena Hankivsky.

By Cecilia Nasmith, Northumberland 89.7 FM

Port Hope

Port Hope municipal staff are preparing a report for council's April 15 meeting on the scope, intent and operational impact of Wednesday's announcement that Port Hope is one of 169 Ontario municipalities granted Ontario Strong Mayor Powers.

Earlier this week (along with Cobourg, Trent Hills and Brighton), the Municipality of Port Hope was on the list of municipalities so designated.

The press release sets out Strong Mayor powers and duties, including:

Choosing to appoint 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 their chairs and vice-chairs

Proposing the municipal budget, which would be subject to council amendments and a separate head-of-council veto and council-override process

Proposing certain municipal bylaws if the mayor believes it could potentially advance a provincial priority identified in regulation (said bylaws to pass if more than one-third of all council members vote in favour)

Vetoing certain bylaws if the head of council believes that all or part of the bylaw could interfere with a provincial priority

Bringing forth matters for council consideration if the head of council believes the matter could potentially advance a provincial priority

The report to council will come two weeks before the May 1 date for these changes to take effect.

The announcement included comments from Port Hope Mayor Olena Hankivsky, who declared, “My top priority is always to advocate at every level of government for the best interests of our community. While I fully support the provincial focus on housing, infrastructure improvements and growth for Port Hope, I believe we can achieve these objectives within our existing organizational structure.

“I hold the utmost respect for the vital role and responsibilities of a municipal CAO, and I have every confidence in our council and staff. Together, we are committed to engaging with the public – listening, discussing, debating and, when necessary, disagreeing – to ultimately make the best decisions for our community as a collective.”