By Pepper Parr
April 11th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
Who’s counting and why are they getting different totals.
The counting got serious when Burlington signed the pledge.
When they agreed to build 29,000 housing units by 2031 Mayor Meed Ward got Strong Mayor powers which she promptly used to wring the necks of most of her council members.
That part was easy – the majority of this council are just not in the same category as Meed Ward when it comes to strategic thinking. For the Mayor the strategy is to have the biggest basket and keep all the eggs in that basket,
Mayor Meed Ward needs a math upgrade: 29,000 divided by seven does not equal 2,900
Earlier today she explained that in order to have the 29,000 units by 2031 – would mean 2,900 units each year. How did she arrive at that number? This is 2024 – 2031 is seven years away – 2900 a year will not get us there.
As to counting – well what counts. Is it when a building permit is issued? Having a permit in hand does not mean there will eventually be a home.
Maybe it counts when the developer’s contractor starts building. That sounds like a good way to count.
But it’s not the way CMHC counts and because they are one of the biggest players in the housing game the way they count really matters.
The number of units in this high rise at Pearl and LAkeshore will not count until construction has reached grade.
Turns out the fact that matters for CMHC is when the development reaches grade. When a single family dwelling or a four story apartment is being built grade is reached quite quickly.
When a 30 story tower is being built grade isn’t reached until anything between four and seven of underground parking is completed – then construction is at grade.
Complex.
At the Pipeline to Permit monthly meeting today the Information Technology people released the data report.
Most recent Pipeline to Permit data
Her explanation for doing this is very disturbing, Grant LaFleche of the Spectator quotes the Mayor “‘Having these powers protects the CAO from undo pressure behind the scenes by any member of council”. The Mayor goes far too far. What gives her the right to suggest any of our democratically elected councillors who she made Deputy Mayors, are capable of such behaviour.
Surely publishing such a statement meets the offence or comes very close to CC defamatory liable. Definition: ” a defamatory liable is matter published …..that is likely to injure the reputation of any person by exposing them to ……contempt or ridicule or that is designed to insult the person of or concerning whom it is published”. This behaviour constitutes at the very least an Integrity commissioner and a Respect in the workplace complaint x 6. We believe the Integrity Commissioner has the power to at least recommend to Council to remove a Committee Chair, strong powers or not.
A few questions: There was funding coming from the Province to reach the 29,000 unit target.
Did Burlington get this money? Does the money come prior to the construction of these units? If they received the funding and can’t reach the target does this money have to be returned to the province?
They didn’t meet the 2023 target so they never got any money from the province.
The numbers don’t match and seem to be difficult to reconcile or explain. This, frankly, is neither surprising nor a unique occurrence. From my perspective and in my opinion there has rarely been an occasion in which this type of communication coming from City Hall has any sort of ‘natural validity’. One always needs to remove the layers of spin and competing context to see what lies beneath.
However, more to the point today is the fact that Meed Ward has formally issued a Mayoral Decision under the Strong Mayor powers that allows for a very limited delegation of those powers. Her Worship states,
As Mayor and Head of Council I hereby delegate the following duty to the City
Manager/Chief Administrative Officer:
1. The duty of the Head of Council under subsection 284.6 (2) of the Act to hire, dismiss, or exercise any other prescribed employments powers with respect to the head of any division or the head of any other part of the organizational structure.
For those who have been following the current Council drama this is a significant event in advance of the Council meeting on April 16th. Meed Ward’s action does not satisfy the repatriation motion of Councillors Galbraith, Nisan, Stolte and Kearns, varies the actions requested and is not given “for the current term of Council”. As such, this one power uniquely delegated, and again to a single individual, can be taken back by the Mayor at any time. And. as enacted, it removes a duly elected Council from the formal decision-making process. Ironically, it is even more unacceptable than leaving that power with the Mayor because now it is posited with an unelected individual. My head spins with the number of rotations that Meed Ward will put on this.
We need to unpack the Strong Mayor powers and unpack the consistent, dizzying spin.
I Don’t think MMW wants to eat the least of this takeback by staff. Some power she has that she can take back sometime, is not something that she is in fact giving back – it’s really a loan with take-back anytime.
When she says she is able to take back the extra power she says she gives up, whenever she wants to, because Ford gave it to her guaranteed, (what else?) and speaks the statement that democracy is alive and well in Ontario, does not speak to any truth I’m familiar with.