Ford government appoints eight regional chairs, including MP and former Liberal leader
The appointments include Conservative MP Scott Aitchison, who will resign his federal seat, and former Ontario Liberal leader Steven Del Duca.
Premier Doug Ford's government has named eight people to chair regional and district governments across Ontario, granting them new powers over budgets and staffing. The appointees include a sitting Conservative MP, a former provincial Liberal leader and several municipal politicians. The chairs will oversee regional governments in Durham, Halton, Muskoka, Niagara, Peel, Waterloo, York and Simcoe County. Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Rob Flack said the government conducted interviews through a ministry-led selection process after receiving extensive applications.
Conservative MP Scott Aitchison will resign his federal seat to become Muskoka District chair, triggering a byelection in Parry Sound-Muskoka. Aitchison, who has served in the House of Commons since 2019, intends to leave by the end of November and will be sworn in on Dec. 1. Vaughan Mayor Steven Del Duca, who led the Ontario Liberals from 2020 to 2022, will chair York Region. Del Duca previously represented Vaughan at Queen's Park from 2012 to 2018, holding cabinet portfolios including transportation and economic development.
The province selected Pickering Mayor Kevin Ashe as Durham Regional Chair and Welland Mayor Frank Campion as Niagara Regional Chair. Orillia Mayor Don McIsaac will take over as Simcoe County chair, while former Oakville mayor Ann Mulvale becomes Halton Regional Chair. Kitchener councillor Scott Davey will serve as Waterloo Regional Chair, and Nando Iannicca will continue as Peel Regional Chair. Appointed chairs who are serving as mayors, including Ashe and Del Duca, will hold both roles.
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Chairs gain strong-mayor style authority
The appointed chairs will have powers similar to those granted to strong mayors, including authority to appoint or fire the chief administrative officer and division heads. They can direct staff, veto certain bylaws and propose the municipal budget, although councils retain mechanisms to override some of those powers. Ford and Flack have defended the changes, saying that stronger regional leadership will streamline decision-making and help municipalities deliver housing and infrastructure projects more quickly. The chairs will coordinate services and oversee regional decision-making on infrastructure, budgets and growth planning.
Province expands control over appointments
The appointments follow recent legislative changes that gave the province power to appoint regional chairs in Durham, Halton, Muskoka and Waterloo. The government already held appointment authority for the chairs in Niagara, Peel and York regions. These changes have raised broader questions about local accountability and the balance of power between Queen's Park and municipal governments. In many regions, council members previously had a direct role in choosing their chair.
Before entering federal politics, Aitchison served as mayor and deputy mayor of Huntsville and as a Muskoka district councillor. Ashe has been Pickering's mayor since 2022 and previously served as a city and regional councillor. Campion has led Welland since 2014 and worked as an adjunct professor at Niagara College. McIsaac is a chartered professional accountant who was executive vice-president and chief financial officer of Cirrus Aircraft before entering municipal politics. Mulvale served six terms as Oakville's mayor and two terms as president of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario. Davey has served on Kitchener city council since 2010 and chairs the city's finance and corporate services committee.
With files from iPolitics and The Globe and Mail