August 9, 2018

The Honourable Doug Ford, M.P.P. Premier of Legislative Building Queen's Park ON M7A 1A1

Dear Premier:

I am writing to formally communicate ’s opposition to your Government's introduction of Bill 5, the Better Local Government Act, 2018, which would, without any consultation, reduce the number of Toronto City Council wards from 47 to 25. I have made my own position clear – it is unacceptable and unfair to change the rules in the middle of an election. I believe the 2018 municipal election should proceed according to the legislation that is currently in place including, the City of Toronto Act and the Municipal Elections Act. City Council, at its meeting of July 30, 2018 adopted my motion to:

1. Convey its opposition to the Provincial government's intention to introduce legislation to reduce the size of City Council to 25 Councillors and a Mayor.

2. Request the Province of Ontario to conduct a binding referendum on the number and boundaries of wards before proceeding with the legislation.

3. If the Province does not conduct the referendum requested above, City Council urges the Province to amend the Municipal Elections Act or regulations thereunder to permit the City to put a question on the ballot in 2018 on the proposed reduction in the number of wards and Members of Council before the Province proceeds with the legislation.

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City Council also requested the City Solicitor to consider further the validity and constitutionality of any Provincial legislation, including its potential violation of the rights of the citizens of Toronto to fair and effective representation, the practicality of conducting the election already underway, capacity to implement the changes and any errors or flaws in the legislation and to report back to City Council at a special meeting to be held on Monday, August 20, 2018. City Council's full decision, including other motions duly considered in this matter, can be accessed at: http://app.toronto.ca/tmmis/viewAgendaItemHistory.do?item=2018.MM44.128 The City of Toronto's governance has always put the people first. For example, the City consulted with its residents before adopting Toronto's new 47 ward boundaries. While I voted against increasing the number of Councillors, I at least respected the fact that the recommendation was the result of an extensive process including the public. In contrast, Bill 5 proposes significant amendments to the City of Toronto Act and the Municipal Election Act without meaningful consultation of any kind with the public or stakeholders, including Toronto City Council. This was not raised as a campaign issue by any party and therefore in my view, no party has a mandate for such unilateral action. The proposed legislation is contrary to common sense in terms of both the practicality of altering a live election process and in terms of our ongoing provincial-municipal relationship. It is contrary to the spirit of the City of Toronto Act and the Ontario-Toronto Consultation Agreements and likely represents a breach of the latter. Also, it is possibly contrary to the law, something that our City’s legal team has been directed to examine, as per the above motions. Something as fundamentally important as an election – a primary mechanism of civic democracy – should not be changed without public input and in the absence of a clear process or robust understanding of public impacts and costs. In light of this lack of any public consultation, I urge you to consider putting the process on hold to allow for a referendum so we can let the people speak. To me, hitting the pause button is a sign of strength. I would respectfully suggest that the legitimacy of your government’s position dramatically increases if supported by a legitimate process. It is always better to do something right as opposed to doing it quickly. A referendum campaign would allow for a full opportunity for the public to be consulted and heard. I would also suggest we could put other governance reforms such as term limits on the table at the same time. .../3

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The relationship between Toronto and Ontario is a profoundly important one, as it relates to transit, housing, community safety and a range of other issues that affect this province’s biggest city. Within the context of this extremely important relationship, which I am hopeful we can build up, I urge you to respect the interests of our hard-working residents, by choosing a productive consultative course rather than one that will divide people at a time when we need to be united.

Sincerely,

John Tory

c. The Honourable Steve Clark, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Province of Ontario Steve Orsini, Secretary of Cabinet, Province of Ontario Giuliana Carbone, Interim City Manager, City of Toronto