North Bay, ON – Nov. 1, 2023 – As of today, strong mayor powers are expanded to 21 cities, including North Bay.
While Mayor Peter Chirico has expressed his intent to maintain collaboration with City Council, there are provincial legislative requirements to follow.
"I am committed to working collaboratively with our City Council, and I have no intention of exercising these powers in a way that undermines our strong team,” said Mayor Chirico. “However, we must adhere to the provincial legislation, and as such, I am taking these steps to ensure transparency and accountability."
In adherence to the provincial guidelines, Mayor Chirico is issuing Mayoral Decisions to maintain the existing Committees of Council and to delegate specific strong mayor powers.
This includes delegating the authority to appoint or dismiss a chief administrative officer to Council and to delegate the hiring and reorganization of municipal department heads to the chief administrative officer.
According to the provincial legislation, these powers will be exercised in writing, with notifications sent to the city clerk and councillors. These notifications will also be made publicly available.
To ensure transparency and accessibility, the City has launched a web page to house all mayoral decisions related to strong mayor powers. Community members can access this information at https://northbay.ca/StrongMayor