When Premier Doug Ford suddenly slashed the number of Toronto wards in July, many residents and local politicians responded with outrage not just because of the cuts, but because he’d interfered in an ongoing municipal election without consulting those most impacted.

In the following weeks, the city of Toronto grappled with how to pause the original 47-ward election and organize a new 25-ward race before voting day on Oct. 22. Under a 47-ward council, Toronto’s population of 2.7 million would have a ratio of 58,119 citizens per councillor. The current 44-ward council would have an average of 62,081 people per councillor. In a 25-ward city council, that number grows to 109,263 people per councillor.

The city and a group of council candidates are now challenging the province in court. If they win the case, the city could revert to 47 wards, creating even more uncertainty about where Toronto will go from here.

Read more:

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Ford’s move could be a cause of concern for other cities across the province and country. All Canadian cities have the same constitutional status as Toronto and are fundamentally creatures of their province, subject to the decisions of the ruling party with little to no recourse.

We surveyed 53 current and former mayors of cities from coast to coast to ask what they thought of Ford’s decision to interfere in Toronto’s election, whether they thought it was the province’s place to make that decision and whether they agreed with the decision to do so during an ongoing election campaign.

Of the 23 mayors who replied or whose views were already known through other media, 21 were against the process or decision to interfere in the middle of an election. Here is what they said.

(Submissions have been edited for clarity and length. Statistics are based on 2016 census data from Statistics Canada.)

John Sewell

Former mayor of Toronto

“I think (Ford is) acting like a tyrant. He’s unpredictable. He moves at lightning speed. He does stuff that he wants to do without consulting with anyone else. These are all things tyrants do. The other thing tyrants do is they try to destroy any source of power that might be a threat to them and they often try to do it by upsetting elections … We don’t think tyrants arise in Canada, they’re always in some foreign country, but it happened right here. I find it amazing none of his cabinet ministers are willing to speak out. These are all supposed to be respectable people, the Caroline Mulroneys and Christine Elliotts of the world, and they’ve gone along with it and that’s what tyrants manage to do. They manage to terrify everybody so they do what they want. The problem is you don’t know what he’s going to do next.”

Barbara Hall

Former mayor of Toronto

“Well, it is shocking. I was mayor when (Progressive Conservative) Premier (Mike) Harris announced the amalgamation and that seemed to come out of the blue in the same way this has; however, it was a year and a half before an election and it was very well debated. So the process was democratic. I didn’t like the outcome, but it was a good consultation; people had an opportunity to have input and to express their views. (Premier Ford’s move) feels like something you hear on the news, about some undemocratic ‘strongman’ country. In the middle of an election to come up with this, not a well-thought-through policy, not something that looks at municipalities across the province, but something that looks revengeful, irrational, really ignoring the kind of process that we expect.”

Art Eggleton

Former mayor of Toronto

“I think it’s wrong to stop the election process in midstream. I think what would be a better solution is: Let it proceed as city council had already decided, and then (revisit it) after the election … If we’re talking about streamlining how municipal services are provided, and how councils are organized, then it should be done for all of Ontario … A better way would have been to launch a study on the best way to make reforms, because there’s always room for improvement.”

David Crombie

Former mayor of Toronto

“The question isn’t whether it’s 25, or 43, or 112 (councillors) — the question is the process. It’s a process that needed better consultation in my judgment, and there’s no doubt that the way (in) which it was done was not acceptable. That’s why the city is taking it to court. I think the way that city council is approaching it is the right thing to do; they need to get their view out there. I’m not sure what will happen, but I think that what the mayor and council are doing is appropriate.”

David Miller

Former mayor of Toronto

“The province has no mandate to do this, and cancelling an election that has already been commenced is wrong and undemocratic. The rights of Canadian citizens resident in Toronto to elect their local government are being profoundly affected. In addition, the results of Bill 5 completely violate the one person, one vote principle, as downtown residents are voting in wards of up to 150,000 people while in many suburbs there are little more than half that — an inevitable result of the complete lack of process, unlike the thorough, transparent and appropriate way the city itself reviewed ward boundaries.”

Mel Lastman

Former mayor of Toronto

“I agree that 25 people could handle it, because there’s many times that we’ve had three- and four-hour debates and the vote is maybe 40 to two. It was two before it started, and it was two when it ended. We just waste time and nothing changed. I believe, yes, that it could be handled with 25 (wards) — but I resent the way it was handled. They just threw it at the politicians, and some of them have spent money already on literature, on signs, and some of them have spent a lot of time (on campaigning).”

Michael Prue

Former mayor of East York

“I don’t agree with the process. The process is identical to the process that Mike Harris used to amalgamate the municipalities in Metro (Toronto) way back, 20-something years ago. Without consultation, without listening to the will of the people, without listening to public outcries — he just did it because that was his whim. And that’s what Ford’s doing, the same thing. It’s just a whim.”

Doug Holyday

Former mayor of Etobicoke

“Back when we were Etobicoke, we changed our boundaries several times for various reasons and cut the size of the council in different forms. And again, I don’t recall extensive public meetings over that. It was a business decision that the council made. I think this is a business decision that the government of Ontario is making. It should be done. The trouble with council of course is it’s not likely to cut itself, because you’re asking people to do away with some of these positions. They’re not going to do it, whether it’s good or bad. So it has to be done. It’s unfortunate about the timing. I agree with that, but I don’t see any other opportunity and I think this is it. And I commend them for taking it.”

Reactions from coast to coast:

Vancouver

Mayor: Gregor Robertson

Population: 631,486

No. of councillors: 10

Population per councillor: 63,148

In a July 30 tweet, Robertson said: “The Ontario government’s plan to slash Toronto City Council just weeks before an election is a direct attack on democracy and cities across Canada. You don’t move the goalposts when the game is underway.” He then added on Twitter: “It’s tough enough getting new people, new voices into politics as it is. Ripping up the rules in the midst of an election campaign feeds cynicism and gives another reason for good people to avoid going in to public service.”

Port Coquitlam, B.C.

Mayor: Greg Moore

Population: 58,612

No. of councillors: 6

Population per councillor: 9,768

“I think the forced changes by Premier Ford onto the City of Toronto is heavy-handed and does not reflect a healthy relationship between levels of government. Premier Ford is recommending one councillor for every 115,000 people — that will leave residents without the ability to connect with their local representatives. (Members of the Legislative Assembly) in B.C. have on average one elected official to every 60,000 votes, and it is hard enough to connect with and speak directly with our MLAs. Ford is suggesting doubling this ratio … We need to create better connections for our residents and the elected officials.”

New Westminster, B.C.

Mayor: Jonathan Coté

Population: 70,996

No. of councillors: 6

Population per councillor: 11,832

“Making significant changes to how local governments are governed should be a thoughtful discussion between the province, local government and residents. Rushing in back-of-the-napkin ideas in the middle of an election campaign is a poor way of conducting public policy decisions as important as this. The appearance from afar is that these decisions are being made because of personal and partisan reasons, which is the wrong way to be considering governance matters.”

Calgary

Mayor: Naheed Nenshi

Population: 1,239,220

No. of councillors: 14

Population per councillor: 88,516

In comments to reporters in July after Ford’s decision, Nenshi said: “I stand with Mayor (John) Tory on this, and say that is a direct affront on democracy; that is tinpot dictator stuff … It may well be that you want to change the structure of Toronto council. I’ve been super critical of a 45-member council where you have shadow parties and been super happy that we don’t have that here. But you don’t do that on nomination day. You don’t do that after you’ve just run in an election in which you’ve never mentioned this. You don’t cancel elections where your political rival was running for an office just because your political rival is running for that office.”

Edmonton

Mayor: Don Iveson

Population: 932,546

No. of councillors: 12

Population per councillor: 71,734

“The fact that provincial governments could swoop in to even our largest city in this country, without consultation, without notification, and unilaterally make a change, that in this case is on the doorstep of a municipal election, really also has democratic implications. It is a stark reminder that municipalities are legally ‘creatures of the province.’ … As long as the wind can shift in the province and you can completely upend the nation’s largest city, or any other local government, that is anti-democratic and also represents a risk to a city’s ability to get on with its infrastructure agenda, its economic development agenda, its governing agenda and in this day and age, it comes as a shock to Canadians to find out that our local democracies are subject to this paternalistic oversight from provincial legislatures across the country.”

Lethbridge, Alta.

Mayor: Chris Spearman

Population: 92,729

No. of councillors: 8

Population per councillor: 11,591

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“I understand it was one of the first things Premier Ford did after he got elected, and he’d previously been a city councillor, so there might be some baggage there … I’m not sure what the justification is … I really think that each community needs to decide on what their own needs are. The citizens need to make sure they’re being effectively served by the city council that is elected … There isn’t enough time for effective discussion of the issue.”

Mississauga

Mayor: Bonnie Crombie

Population: 721,599

No. of councillors: 11

Population per councillor: 65,600

“Local government is closest to the people. We are on the front lines and understand the needs of our community best. While municipalities remain under the jurisdiction of the province, it is important that we are provided the opportunity to govern our own affairs, make decisions and are given the flexibility to determine what works best for the residents we serve. As the mayor of Mississauga, it is always my top priority to consult with residents about the big issues that affect our city. Any changes that are proposed by the province for the City of Mississauga or the Region of Peel must be subject to consultation and discussion with residents before a final decision is made.”

Hamilton

Mayor: Fred Eisenberger

Population: 536,917

No. of councillors: 15

Population per councillor: 35,794

“I think it’s an unfortunate way to go about that, normally you would have some broader consultation, not only with the councils but with community in terms of what their hopes and aspirations are in terms of representation … I think that these kinds of major electoral changes require that kind of collaboration, community engagement and council consideration in the community that’s going to be affected and hopefully the community at large would have a final say.”

Kingston

Mayor: Bryan Paterson

Population: 117,660

No. of councillors: 12

Population per councillor: 9,805

“Looking at ways to make local councils more efficient and effective is a worthy goal, however I believe it’s the citizens of each community that should make the decision whether or not to change the way they are governed.”

Ottawa

Mayor: Jim Watson

Population: 934,243

No. of councillors: 23

Population per councillor: 40,619

Watson’s press secretary Livia Belcea told the Star by email: “Although Mayor Watson recognizes that the province acted within its jurisdiction, it is unfortunate that the legislation was modified during the middle of the 2018 municipal election, as it may create some confusion amongst municipal candidates and voters.”

Montreal

Mayor: Valérie Plante

Population: 1,704,694

No. of councillors: 65 (includes 46 councillors and 18 borough mayors)

Population per councillor: 26,226

“Our administration recognizes the importance of municipal autonomy as governments of proximity, best equipped to provide quality services to citizens and community groups. Hence, as with all big cities across the country, Montreal and Toronto share a responsibility and vision to be front line actors when it comes to tackling important issues such as climate change, mobility, urban planning and so on. Municipalities need support from all level of government to have the freedom to have meaningful impacts on their citizens’ daily lives.”

Halifax

Mayor: Mike Savage

Population: 403,131

No. of councillors: 16 (The number of regional councillors shrank to 16 from 23 after a 2011 decision by the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board, an independent quasi-judicial regulatory body.)

Population per councillor: 25,196

“What process? I think as a policy, it was deeply flawed and ill thought out. In terms of process, it was horrible. It’s not the way that governance is supposed to be done today. I think it was vindictive … To come in in this heavy-handed way, particularly so close to an election and impacting directly on activities that had already taken place in terms of preparation for the municipal election this fall, it’s really, really draconian and just really poor.”

Cape Breton, N.S.

Mayor: Cecil Clarke

Population: 94,285

No. of councillors: 12 (The number of regional councillors shrank to 12 from 16 after a 2011 decision by the review board.)

Population per councillor: 7,857

“I have a regional municipality that was forced together over 20 years ago that people didn’t want to happen, but we’re making the best of it. … So there was a decision of a premier of the day to make a change for Nova Scotia that was politically driven, no different than what the premier of Ontario is doing for Toronto … Those are decisions of the leadership of the day and the public will respond. I leave it to Ontarians to determine that and they’ll decide if they like it or don’t like it in the next election.”

Sackville, N.B.

Mayor: John Higham

Population: 5,331

No. of councillors: 8

Population per councillor: 666

“I don’t particularly like the process he went through, but I think perhaps one of the things it did illustrate for people is that local governments are still seen as completely submissive or elementary to the provincial government … I think (the timing) is awful … I don’t think that was very professional at any level.”

Summerside, P.E.I.

Mayor: Bill Martin

Population: 14,829

No. of councillors: 8

Population per councillor: 1,854

“The biggest single challenge or concern I would have with the process is the timing … The rug has been pulled from underneath (the candidates) … I can’t really comment one way or the other on the rationale behind him doing it, but I think the timing leaves a lot to be desired.”

Correction — Sept. 3: This article has been edited from a previous version that misstated the average number of Toronto residents per city councillor in a 44-ward system.

With reporting by Zane Woodford, Kashmala Fida, Madeline Smith, Jen St. Denis, Alexandra Jones, Jenna Moon and Claire Floody

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