Ontario court quashes Toronto city council's $100K pledge to fight Quebec's Bill 21
nationalpost.com/news/toronto/ontario-court-q...
nationalpost.comPosted Jul 28, 2023, 11:58 PM UTC
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nationalpost.com“A challenge to a law in a foreign jurisdiction that has no effect on Torontonians, goes beyond the powers granted to the city,” Chalmers wrote in his decision.
It's kind of staggering how eager municipalities are to engage in interprovincial or international politics whilst simultaneously crying poor on or ignoring matters that are within their jurisdiction, like taking steps to address the addictions and mental health crises affecting their residents.
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They can do both
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I mean, they can't, as this ruling highlights. Legally, they have no jurisdiction to engage in international and interprovincial politics. And the resources they expend trying to are resources not spent on dealing with issues that are in their jurisdiction, even as they cry poor over matters that are in their jurisdiction (while sitting on an $11 billion cash reserve). So not only can they not, they aren't.
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like taking steps to address the addictions and mental health crises affecting their residents.
A city should be extremely wary of setting that precedent to a province.
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The Municipalities Act (or equivalent) of just about every province puts dealing with things like that squarely in their jurisdictions. It's important to remember that municipalities do not enjoy any independent powers -- their powers, and their responsibilities, are those that the province has delegated to them by statute. When the Municipalities Act grants them responsibility over, for example:
Economic, social and environmental well-being of the municipality, including respecting climate change.
Health, safety and well-being of persons.
Services and things that the municipality is authorized to provide under subsection (1) [I.e., "any service or thing that the municipality considers necessary or desirable for the public"]
Protection of persons and property, including consumer protection.
As, for example, the Ontario Municipal Act does, the Province is explicitly making such things their responsibility. As is their right.
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Where in Canada do cities run hospitals or addiction centres with municipal tax dollars?
That act is vague to give them a fairly wide mandate to act on issues as they choose, but for practical intents and purposes, delivery of healthcare is provincial. Or if you take the Conservative view of it, arresting people is municipal, but everything from prosecution to conviction to jailing is either provincial or federal.
So I suppose they could have them rounded up.
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Where in Canada do cities run hospitals or addiction centres with municipal tax dollars? It isn't the municipalities that announce grand hospital expansions. Those are the provinces.
You're right. Municipalities across Canada are failing in their mandates, and the provinces are left picking up their mess.
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Judge said: Municipalities are essentially administrative bodies, not real "governments" as most people understand the concept.
Some cities have started to believe their own bullshit on "City-States", imagining they hold power that they really don't.
Fact is that the Canadian Constitution is clear in giving the province sole and complete power over the establishment of municipalities. As "creatures of the provincial governments", municipalities are very much just a bunch of "administrative councils" whose powers are limited and inexistant beyond their municipal boundary lines.
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WTF?
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How 'bout you use money to fix your own problem? Or has Toronto suddenly figured it's shit out and became a perfect city since last time I visited lol?
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So has Brampton, Winnipeg, and others I can’t remember. Everyone has money to give to lawyers fighting bill 21.
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Who pushed for this?
Lunacy
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Louis Labrecque - the guy the filed the suit to stop the 100k pledge. Remember this man's name, he is a hero.