Super-mayor idea 'radical, premature'Provincial watchdog says plan doesn't meet his notion of openness |
Ontario Ombudsman Andre Marin called plans to grant Toronto's mayor new powers radical and premature.
"He's proposing, I would think, a radical change. Any radical change would have to meet the obligation of transparency and openness," Marin said of David Miller as Marin released his annual report at Queen's Park.
"(But) I think it's premature right now because what he's proposing is not just a quick and dirty amendment to the act. Until I see a complete plan, it's impossible for me to comment."
Miller has been aggressively lobbying the provincial government for greater mayoral powers -- including the ability to meet in private with his executive committee, much like a cabinet would.
Premier Dalton McGuinty -- who has already granted the mayor new taxing powers -- is open to the idea and city and provincial officials have been meeting to hammer out details.
A formal request from Miller to the province is expected this fall but until then, Marin -- who pointedly noted Toronto has yet to appoint its own ombudsman even though the new law requires it -- says the rules on municipal council meetings are very clear.
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"I can comment on the current state of the legislation," Marin said. "The current state is that they must meet publicly."
And to make sure the 200 civic governments he has jurisdiction over behave as they should, Marin is unleashing a special Open Meeting Law Enforcement Team (OMLET) he hopes will "descramble" public confusion around the issue.
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