Punished for dissent: top municipal officials speak out about working with Ford government

Senior officials in a number of Ontario municipalities are pulling back the curtain on their working relationship with the Ford government, accusing the province of employing a “divide and conquer” strategy, using municipalities as a political “shield” and forcing mayors to walk a fine line.

Ahead of the annual Association of Ontario Municipalities conference in Ottawa, the Chief Administrative Officers (CAOs) of several towns and cities offered their views on how lower-tier governments are treated by the province.

The survey, conducted by government relations firm StrategyCorp, compiled anonymous reflections from a sample of 32 CAOs, allowing them to freely discuss the behind-the-scenes relationship with the provincial government.

Top municipal civil servants described a government that’s filled with ambition but falls short on implementation, rushes through the consultation process, and is often “thin-skinned and unforgiving” when faced with criticism.

“We have to tread very carefully in our response to anything that the province is doing,” one CAO said. “Our mayor is cognizant of that.”

Another city administration put it more bluntly: “the province doesn’t accept dissent, and you are punished for it.”

The report’s findings come as the Ford government turns its attention to artificial intelligence data centres and potential host cities for the mammoth projects.

The facilities have already led to anxiety among municipalities worried about a potential spike in electricity and water usage with few employment or economic opportunities in the region.

On Monday, Ford promised municipal leaders his government would only advance projects that offer infrastructure investments in community centres, parks, roads and broadband infrastructure.

“Folks, you’re going to be part of the choice,” Ford said about AI data centre placements. “We’re in the driver’s seat, all of us.”

The collaborative tone offered the premier on stage, however, appears to be misaligned with the experience of municipal officials tasked with implementing provincial decisions.

Get daily National news

Get daily Canada news delivered to your inbox so you'll never miss the day's top stories.

Sign up for daily National newsletter Get Started

By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

Some CAOs interviewed for the report said the province “doesn’t understand the municipal sector,” leading to “far too many unintended consequences.”

Another CAO labelled the Progressive Conservatives as a “spaghetti government.”

“You just throw a bunch of stuff at the wall and see what sticks. If it sticks, then you draft regulations. If it doesn’t stick, you don’t.”

Notably, some officials said that while the government promises to consult with municipalities, the process is often rushed.

“The province says they are doing consultations, but they are doing it so quickly. Are they really absorbing or taking in what they’re hearing?” One CAO said. “It is just to tick a box and isn’t meaningful.”

Ultimately, some said, decisions are made without local guidance.

“Changes appear to be made by a very small group of people without real consultation or analysis on what the impact will be,” one CAO said.

“We see that when they must be rolled back.”

That frustration, CAOs indicated, is also shared by mayors and city councillors who have to face constituents upset about provincially mandated changes.

Several expressed frustration that the Ford government is turning municipalities into “implementation arms” of Queen’s Park, often allowing provincial policymakers to evade the wrath of constituents.

“They use municipalities and school boards as the shield for the blowback to be able to say, ‘well, these are municipalities doing it,” one CAO said.

“These interventions are really causing discomfort for the local decision makers because they’re feeling the brunt of the citizens who are unhappy with it,” another CAO added. “Yet they don’t really have a choice in the matter because it’s provincially mandated.”

Others argue the province has employed a “divide and conquer” tactic to keep municipalities focused on the agenda set by the government.

“For years now, municipalities have not focused on the provincial-municipal fiscal
relationship because we have been focused on restructuring or strong mayor powers,” one CAO said.

The report also found that dialogue with the province is strained and that formal and public disagreements with the Ford government can lead to retribution – leaving mayors looking for unofficial ways of exerting influence.

“It’s a tough go to have honest conversation,” one CAO said. “You’re more likely to win by sending your mayor to go talk to the Premier in his basement than win through OBCM (Ontario Big City Mayors) or AMO.”

That approach, critics say, suggests a “culture of fear” around the Ford government.

“Doug Ford might look like a friendly ‘hey folks’ kind of guy, but don’t cross him. That’s what these CAOs are saying,” said interim Liberal leader John Fraser.

“Why should a mayor have to go to the Premier’s basement to settle an issue? That’s ridiculous.”

Chief administrative officers called on the government to consult for longer periods of time, to deliberate on the impact of the policies the province is looking to implement and to slow down the pace of change to allow municipalities to catch up.

“I get nervous whenever Doug Ford steps up to a podium because I have three months’ work ahead of me whenever he opens his mouth,” One CAO said.

“There have been 8 years of constant change.”