Ontario has appointed chairs for eight upper-tier municipalities and is giving them expanded authority over budgets, senior staffing and other council decisions, CityNews reports.

The Ford government announced the appointments Tuesday for Durham, Halton, Niagara, Peel, Waterloo and York regions, along with Muskoka and Simcoe County. The move extends powers similar to Ontario’s “strong mayor” authorities to provincially appointed regional leaders.

According to reporting by CityNews’ Lucas Casaletto, the appointees are:

- **Durham:** Kevin Ashe, mayor of Pickering since 2022.
- **Halton:** Ann Mulvale, a former six-term Oakville mayor and former president of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario.
- **Niagara:** Frank Campion, mayor of Welland since 2014.
- **Peel:** Nando Iannicca, reappointed after serving as regional chair since 2018.
- **Waterloo:** Scott Davey, a Kitchener councillor and chair of the city’s finance and corporate services committee.
- **York:** Steven Del Duca, the current Vaughan mayor and former Ontario Liberal leader.
- **Simcoe County:** Don McIsaac, mayor of Orillia since 2022.
- **Muskoka:** Scott Aitchison, the Conservative MP for Parry Sound–Muskoka and former Huntsville mayor.

The province said Aitchison intends to resign his House of Commons seat by the end of November and take up the Muskoka chair position on Dec. 1, 2026.

The expanded authorities generally cover preparing municipal budgets, appointing and dismissing certain senior staff, shaping committee structures and advancing provincial priorities such as housing and infrastructure.

The government argues stronger executive powers help municipalities meet housing targets more efficiently. Ontario first introduced strong mayor powers in Toronto and Ottawa in 2022 and has since expanded them.

The appointments come despite opposition from the Association of Municipalities of Ontario, which urged the province to leave the selection of regional chairs to voters or local councils.

In a June 2026 letter to Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Rob Flack, the association argued that municipal leaders should be directly accountable to their communities. It warned that combining provincial appointments with strong-chair powers could weaken local democracy, CityNews reported.

The association also said municipalities had not requested the changes and raised concerns about appointees advancing bylaws with support from only a portion of council and overseeing senior administrative appointments.

The affected upper-tier governments oversee services that include regional roads, water and wastewater systems, public health, long-term care, policing oversight and regional land-use planning.

Sources