Toronto Mayor John Tory after casting his ballot in the municipal election on Oct. 24, 2022.Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press
Toronto Mayor John Tory says he will use so-called strong mayor powers to create a new division at city hall to streamline housing development.
Mr. Tory says he’ll be using the powers, which were granted by the province to the leaders of Toronto and Ottawa, to get the new Development and Growth Division operating by early next year.
His announcement comes just two days after he was re-elected to a third mayoral term following a campaign where he promised to create the new division in a bid to help tackle the city’s housing crisis.
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Mr. Tory says the division will streamline the development application process and speed up approval times.
Ontario’s Progressive Conservative government recently passed a law that gave the mayors of Toronto and Ottawa the expanded powers to hire department heads, table budgets and veto bylaws that conflict with provincial priorities, such as building housing.
The province tabled legislation Tuesday intended to spur housing development, in part by reducing developer charges, allowing more units on one residential lot and pursuing rent-to-own programs.