The Ontario government has granted itself the authority to appoint regional chairs for certain municipalities, and a bill titled "Better Municipal Governance Act" was introduced in the legislature this afternoon on Wednesday.

Housing Minister Steve Clark said while presenting the bill: "The proposed changes support our bold and transformative plan to build 1.5 million homes over the next ten years."

While regional chairs are often appointed or elected during a public vote or representative vote, the proposed legislation will allow the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing to appoint the chairs of Niagara, Peel, and York regions for the current council term. Clark confirmed that he intends to reappoint the current chairs - Jim Bradley in Niagara, Nando Yanik in Peel, and Wayne Emerson in York.

At a press conference, Clark said the province hopes to "leverage their knowledge and expertise," adding: "I strongly feel we need consistency with these three municipalities given their size and the opportunity to be able to achieve our housing goals."

Also, the NDP housing critic Jessica Bell described the legislation as "an insult to democracy" and said it has nothing to do with building affordable housing. She told reporters: "Premier (Doug) Ford has granted himself the power to choose regional council chairs and change how regional councils are selected just a few months after hundreds of thousands voted for their local representatives. These regional chairs were on track to be elected by council members. Now Doug Ford has given himself the power to choose 'yes' men to do his bidding."

Additionally, the province will also create " provincially appointed facilitators" to evaluate regional governments in Durham, Halton, Niagara, Peel, Waterloo, and York. Clark said the facilitators will determine "the best mix of roles and responsibilities between upper and lower-tier municipalities." He confirmed that the facilitator’s goal is to enable and expand the powers of strong mayors.

The proposal appears to have been well received by some municipalities, with Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown expressing his support, stating in a statement: "I am pleased that the provincial government is looking for ways to make municipalities in Peel more efficient by reducing duplication. This will help meet growth challenges and support building the homes that Brampton residents desperately need."

Similarly, Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie described the move as "a positive step toward local government reform." Crombie has been outspoken about her desire to separate Mississauga from the rest of the Peel region.

Furthermore, Brampton and Mississauga are likely to be included in the next batch of municipalities to receive strong mayoral powers.