There's been a lot of talk lately about empowering the city of Toronto.Adopting a City Charter is often mentioned as a way to give the city the power and authority it needs to govern its own affairs.
But what would a City Charter look like? What would be in it? What would it do for cities? This website, and the downloadable text version of our proposal (PDF at bottom of the page) is an attempt to begin that conversation. Charter City Toronto proposes a two-step process toward greater power and autonomy for the city of Toronto. We believe this can serve as a template for other cities in Ontario and Canada who wish to achieve greater control over their own affairs. This proposal is not a final set of ideas. We hope it will be widely discussed, massaged, amended, and changed to produce a document that has wide agreement. |
Adopting a City Charter is a Two-Part Process
1. A CITY CHARTER
The city and the province--with substantial public consultation--will create and pass a City Charter for Toronto. The Charter will give the city enhanced power and jurisdiction over city affairs. |
2. A CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT
The province and federal government will pass a single-province amendment to the Canadian Constitution that enables the creation of Charter Cities in Ontario and protects them from provincial interference in areas of municipal jurisdiction. |
C O N T E N T O F T H E C H A R T E R
A City Charter should cover four broad areas: Governance, Authority, Resources, and Protection.
The navigation buttons at the top and bottom of the page will take you to a more detailed discussion of each section of our proposal.
The full proposal can be downloaded by clicking "Proposal PDF" at the bottom of the page.
The navigation buttons at the top and bottom of the page will take you to a more detailed discussion of each section of our proposal.
The full proposal can be downloaded by clicking "Proposal PDF" at the bottom of the page.
GovernanceThe city of Toronto would regain the authority to determine its own governing structures.
That authority was unilaterally revoked by the province in 2018. The city would have full control over: city council and the Mayor's office; the city bureaucracy; agencies, boards and commissions; community councils; oversight and accountability, and elections. Toronto is the only municipality in Ontario without such authority. |
AuthorityThe Charter would place exclusive responsibility and authority for key municipal functions clearly in the hands of an empowered city government.
Where necessary, the city and province would share authority in certain areas, but with clear rules defining the roles and authorities of the two partners. The city would be empowered to make arrangements, financial and otherwise, directly with other governments, including other cities. |
ResourcesThe Charter would give the city control over (not just access to) the revenues and resources it needs to meet its responsibilities.
It would also continue the practice of sharing the wealth generated in the city with its municipal neighbours, the province and the country as a whole. Cities currently have access to just 10 per cent of all taxes raised in Canada; the rest goes to the federal and provincial governments. |
Protection We propose that the provincial and federal governments create
and pass a single-province amendment to the Canadian Constitution. The amendment would define Charter Cities and end their status as "creatures of the province" whose every decision--and very existence--is subject to provincial override. This would ensure that no changes could be made to the City Charter without the express consent of the city. |
"At the heart of the Charter is the concept that cities...should and can
be responsible for governing all those aspects of urban life that can be implemented locally,
but need to have the requisite resources and authority to do it well."
--Alan Broadbent, CEO Avana Capital Corporation, 2000
City Charters Are Not
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Single Province Amendments
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How a Charter
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