COMMUNITY TOOLKIT

• Contact your municipal councillors by phone and/or email, tell them you are against strong mayor powers, and you want your council to pass a motion asking the mayor to return the respective powers to the council and the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) or City Manager. Here is a link to download a sample letter to councillors, which you could use for guidance. Feel free to edit or add to it as you like.

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• Email your Clerk to request copies of any resolutions that your council has passed with respect to the SMP Act. Click here to download a sample note to Clerks.

 

• Click here to find contact information for your municipal council members, mayor, and Clerk: https://www.ontario.ca/page/list-ontario-municipalities

 

• Delegate at one of your local council meetings - delegations can be made in writing (which will be included in the public record and meeting materials); in person (often the most impactful method); and, in some municipalities, via video-link. Check the delegation rules for your municipality — in some, you can only speak to items on the agenda; in others, you are free to talk about whatever you want. These rules will be posted on your municipality’s website, or you can contact your Clerk. Here is a helpful link on preparing delegations: https://opencouncil.ca/deputations

 

• Submit a petition to your municipality. Here is a helpful link on how to create petitions: https://opencouncil.ca/municipal-petition. Here is an example of a petition that was created against strong mayors powers in Burlington, Ontario (also, please add your signature!): https://www.change.org/p/restoration-of-democracy-at-burlington-city-council?source_location=search

 

• Write a Letter to the Editor of your local newspaper, including online publications, as well as to larger newspapers such as The Toronto Star. Here is a helpful link on writing letters to the editor: https://opencouncil.ca/letter-to-the-editor