On May 1, strong mayor powers came into effect in Cobourg, Port Hope, Trent Hills, and Brighton. The province granted these in an effort to push its agenda forward. In particular, to meet its goal of building 1.5 million homes by 2031. Larger urban centres were given these same powers two years ago. On April 9, 169 smaller municipalities got them as well.
In this interview, Brighton Mayor Brian Ostrander discusses the recent implementation of strong mayor powers in his municipality. He will talk about his surprise at the decision, and he questions its necessity given Brighton’s current state of housing development. He outlines his approach to these new powers and commits to prioritizing Brighton’s interests and plans to selectively use the new powers.
The show:
The full interview with bonus material:
Originally aired: May 2, 2025
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