Mayor Adrian Foster joins Exit 425 again and shares that we shouldn't be too concerned about MZOs but still havent heard what will replace development charges! Exciting things and issues, with Mayor Adrian Foster!

Feed the Need In Durham (www.feedtheneedindurham.ca) CEO Ben Earle and Board President Gail Nyberg speak with Steve Rae about what poverty looks like in Exit 425, Clarington and Durham and what we can do to help Feed The Need help those most in need, incuding what we need to share with our political leaders.

You have probably already heard or have seen Dan McTeague ont eh news today as the president of Canadians for Affordable Energy. Certainly as long as Dan McTeague was a Member of Parliament he has spoken clearly and answered questions directly. He continues to do that as he speaks with Steve Rae, Exit 425, about the role of the MP, personalities in the news, and energy policy in Canada.

Mark Carlos of Redemption House Recovery talks to Exit 425 about poverty in Durham in the 61st episode of Exit 425, the first episode of Season 2, and the first part of a series about poverty in Exit 425, Clarington and Durham.

Strong Mayor Powers were introduced to Ontario in a limited way in September of 2022, and more broadly July 1, 2023.

Mayors in Ontario typically are elected by the whole community that they represent, but on their council, have the same voting power that other councillors have, who were elected to represent a portion of their community. In Ontario, that means mayors, even of the largest cities like Toronto, Ottawa, Hamilton, Mississauga and London were expected to build consensus around their ideas in order for them to pass. This would be much more easily done in communities like Clarington where there are 6 councillors in addition to the mayor on Council…versus 20-30 in other places.

Strong Mayor Powers are granted according to The Strong Mayor, Build Better Faster Act so the justification for them is pretty clear.

Adrian Foster joins me today to explain the effect of Strong Mayor powers, the rationale for it, and how he sees that being applied in Ontario...and a few other things.

 John Mutton has been a local councilor and the Mayor of Clarington. He is still involved in municipal politics and affairs through his business, Municipal Solutions, and his work with the provincial government. 

City and town councils vary in makeup in Ontario but basically elect councilors to represent sections of the municipality, and mayors (or something similar) are elected by the entire municipality. In Clarington we have one mayor for all, and elected by all of Clarington, 2 councilors that represent 2 wards each on local and regional council, and 4 local councilors who represent and are only elected by each of the 4 wards or sections that make up Clarington.

What does it mean to have Strong Mayor status....how will this affect how municipalitites and municipal cpuncils work? Without the Strong Mayor status, Mayors only have one vote in council decisions, despite representing the whole community. Their influence comes by persuading other councillors to support the by-laws the mayor introduces na dliving and dying by the decision of council. In a big council like Toronto, that can lead to stalemate. Strong Mayors can get that consensus or can use their power to get 1/3 of council to support their idea. In Clarington, that means convincing only 2 other members of council. In Toronto, that means an additional 8 or 9 members of council, but not a majority of the 25 (+ the mayor =26). Strong Mayor powers can only be used for provincial priorities, such as housing, which is shy the powers are outlined in a housing act (below). As a developer and close supporter of the Doug Ford Conservative government, it is not surprising that he is frustrated by the reported reluctance of Mayors Foster and Carter (Oshawa) to use the Strong Mayor powers to speed up development.

Strong Mayors, Building Homes Act: https://www.ontario.ca/laws/statute/s22018

Adrian Foster is the mayor of Clarington and knows the business of Clarington well, after almost 13 years in the role. He joins Exit 425, as a resident of Exit 425, for the 4th time to update us on his requests for clarity on development charges (a big deal for current Clarington residents with so much growth coming) from provincial representatives. He also chats about OPG's HQ move and the GO Train station in Courtice, as well as Darlington Provincial Park.

Here is the link to the article that Steve references about Darlington Provincial Park, and the email address the mayor encourages us to use to reach him efficiently.

https://www.narcity.com/toronto/this-hidden-beach-in-ontario-has-turquoise-blue-waters-that-belong-in-the-mediterranean

[email protected]

Tony Stravato is a Durham guy who is the father of twin boys, who have autism. Tony’s experience, particularly as a passionate advocate for people with autism, has shown him that politicians at Queens Park do not care about the children of Ontario. He feels that so strongly, he ran as an independent candidate in the 2022 Provincial General election…as you know from listening to Exit 425. Tony ran as a candidate in Durham Riding to represent Exit 425.

Tony is now the Vice PRESIDENT of operations for the Ontario Autism Coalition and is here to fill us in on what the situation is for families living with autism, and what progress has occurred with autism in Ontario since June 2022. Get a sense of Tony's passion, reflective of the passion of most parents/guardians of children with autism. Please also get a sense of parents'/guardians' frustration with this and other governments' inability to do well by children and adults with autism (and their families....and chief advocates).

Ontario Autism Coalition https://ontarioautismcoalition.com https://www.facebook.com/groups/ontarioautismcoalition

Exit 425 https://www.facebook.com/groups/290123016371575/ [email protected]

Mike Schreiner does not fit the bill of a stereotypical politician. He was named the most forthright leader in Ontario in the 2018 election, when he was first elected to the provincial legislature. His affable smile and, conservative appearance are what we see of the business degree and masters degree holder with experience in the food distribution business. He is experienced building a business, focusing on local and sustainable food businesses. He is not a theorist when it comes to the ‘Green ideals’; he was actively putting them in place prior to his election as Green Party leader and MPP for Guelph. Mike is a dad of 2 and a husband, and a pretty normal person.

On episode 56 of Exit 425, Steve Rae speaks with Mike Schreiner about what to look for in a politician, the Greenbelt, bills 23 and 28, where the Greens fit in terms of politics in Ontario, as well as Mike's favourite coffee!