Canada: Toronto votes to challenge Premier Ford's decision to cut council seats
Toronto, Aug 21 (IBNS): Toronto City Council voted to challenge Ontario Premier Doug Ford's decision to cut number of seats from earlier 47 to 25, media reports said.
Toronto Council voted 27-15 to challenge the decision taken by the Progressive Conservative (PC)-led provincial government.
Toronto Mayor John Tory has been quoted by CTV News as saying, "We have instructed city legal staff to challenge this monumental change to our city's governance in the courts."
"Challenging this legislation and the process used to introduce it is the right and responsible thing to do."
The bill was introduced by Ontario premier Doug Ford in July.
The premier even compared Ontario to Los Angeles, a city with a population of four million, which has only 15 city councillors.
Ford said the legislation, if passed, will save around $25 million of tax payers' money.
"I think Toronto taxpayers will be happy to trade a bunch of politicians at city hall for millions of dollars that can be reinvested in the city’s pressing priorities," Ford added.
The previous government, which was led by the Liberals, had increased the number of council seats from 44 to 47 in 2016.
Ford said his Progressive Conservative (PC) government is also planning to halt the previous government's decision to form elected regional chairs in Peel, York, Niagara and Muskoka regions.
(Reporting by Suman Das)
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