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.

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.”