For Immediate Release
January 1, 2007
Ontario’s Capital City Begins New Era
TORONTO — A new City of Toronto Act was proclaimed today providing Canada’s largest city with broad powers and significant legislative freedoms.
“Today is historic not only for the City of Toronto, but for the whole province,” said Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister John Gerretsen. “Through this legislation, the McGuinty government has launched a new era by giving Ontario’s capital city new powers and more autonomy commensurate with Toronto’s size, responsibilities and significance.”
Said Toronto Mayor David Miller: “This legislation is the most important and significant change for the City of Toronto in the past century. It recognizes Toronto as a mature government and provides it with much-needed tools to meet its responsibilities to residents.”
The City of Toronto Act, 2006 recognizes Toronto as a responsible, accountable government. The city is now better able to determine the appropriate mechanisms for delivering municipal services, determine the appropriate levels of municipal spending, and use new fiscal tools to support the city’s activities.
Toronto now has broader powers to license and regulate businesses, broader authority to undertake economic development opportunities and more flexibility to raise revenue in addition to property tax.
The act ensures that the city is accountable to the public and that the processes for making decisions are transparent. Toronto will now have a more effective accountability regime with a legislative requirement for the establishment of an effective lobbyist registry, integrity commissioner, ombudsman and auditor general.
“Today’s proclamation of a new City of Toronto Act allows the city to better respond to its citizens’ needs,” said Gerretsen. “The McGuinty government believes that by strengthening Toronto we are making Ontario stronger.”
“The act will allow the people of this city, through their elected government, to undertake the programs and policies needed to ensure that Toronto takes its rightful place as world-leading city of the 21st century,” Miller said.
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Backgrounder: City of Toronto Legislation Proclaimed
Contact:
Patti Munce
Minister’s Office
416 585-6333
Ralph Walton
Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing
416 585-7260
Don Wanagas
Director of Communications
Office of Toronto Mayor David Miller
416-338-7134
Kevin Sack
Strategic Communications
City of Toronto
416-919-6500 (cell)
