Yesterday, the Ontario Court of Appeal ruled that Bill 5, the Legislation passed by Premier Doug Ford’s government to reduce the size of City Council from a planned 47 seats to 25 is the law of the land.
Bill 5 was originally struck down by Judge Edward Belobaba who argued it violated voters’ Charter Rights. The Court of Appeal harshly criticized the Judge, effectively arguing he went out of bounds by striking down a perfectly legal and constitutional bill.
So What Impact Does Bill 5 Have On The Toronto Council?
Toronto’s upcoming municipal election will see a completely new Council. For the first time in decades, many incumbent Councillors will be facing off against other incumbents in the now larger wards. This will create genuinely competitive democratic races, as many incumbents in the old smaller wards were able to comfortably stay in office for decades using the advantages of incumbency. These 25 total wards now match the provincial and federal ridings for the first time. A Torontonian will now have 1 MP, 1 MPP, and 1 City Councillor all representing the same territory for the first time.
The new Council, with fewer Councillors, will be able to make decisions faster. Decision making will be streamlined by having fewer delegates competing for access to the bureaucracy. Toronto City Council is famous for its dysfunction, entitled politicians, and lack of real change. Journalists, academics, public policy experts, and residents have noted this for decades. A smaller Council will eliminate much of the squabbling and endless flip-flopping on major policy files, especially transit and housing, which is the now status-quo.