CHARTER CITY TORONTO

CHARTER CITY
PROPOSAL OVERVIEW

A TWO-STEP PROPOSAL
TO EMPOWER TORONTO AND OTHER LARGE CITIES

1. ADOPT A CITY CHARTER

A City Charter will set out:

• Jurisdiction: Where the city has exclusive authority to act, including decisions on its own governance.

• Shared Authority: Where the city must act in concert with the province.

• Revenue Sources: What taxes, fees and charges the city has sole
authority to levy.

The Charter would be negotiated between a city and the province, with extensive public consultation.

It would be passed initially as provincial legislation, but upon passage, becomes a law that can be changed only by the city and its voters.

The content of a City Charter may
differ from city to city.

2. AMEND THE CONSTITUTION

An single-province amendment to the Canadian constitution would:

• Enable the creation of City Charters
in Toronto and other large Ontario cities that may want one.

• Describe how to create a City Charter.

• Describe how to amend a City Charter, with the provision that no change could be made without the express consent of the city.

The Ontario government, the House of Commons and Senate would pass the amendment using the constitution's Section 43 amending formuula. The amendment would apply only to Ontario.

Other provinces could in the future join the amendment or pass a similar one of their own.

CONTENT OF THE CHARTER

We propose that initially, a constitutionally-protected City Charter for Toronto
should cover four broad areas:
Governance, Authority, Resources, and Protection.

Other cities may have different priorities.

Governance
and Elections

The city of Toronto would regain the authority to determine its own governing structures.

That authority was revoked by the province in 2018.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 currently the only municipality in Ontario without such authority, though in 2020, the province revoked the power of all municipalities to decide whether to use ranked ballots in their elections.

More on Governance here.

Inherent
Authority

The Charter would place exclusive jurisdiction 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, internally and directly with other governments, including other cities.

More on City Authority here.

Resources
and Taxation

The Charter would give the city control over (not
just access to) the revenues and resources it needs.

We propose Toronto have access to revenue streams that grow with the economy, such as a sales tax or income tax.

The practice of sharing the wealth generated in
the city with its municipal neighbours, the province and the country as a whole, would continue.

Cities currently have access to less than 10 per cent of all taxes raised in Canada; the rest goes to the federal and provincial governments.

More on Resources here.

Constitutional
Protection

We propose that the provincial and federal governments create
and pass a single-province amendment to the Canadian Constitution.

The amendment would enable the creation of Charter Cities; outline their inherent, exclusive authority, and protect city decisions in those areas from provincial override or interference.

It would ensure that no changes could be
made to the City Charter without the express consent of the city and/or voters.

More on Constitutional Protection here.