The Public Record
Strong Mayor powers were promised with transparency. Here is the record.
Every fact on this page is sourced and verifiable — most directly from the City of Pickering's own public transparency log. Decide for yourself.
Source: City of Pickering Strong Mayors Powers transparency log — pickering.ca
Promise vs. record
What was promised. What happened.
In 2022, Mayor Ashe indicated he would not need Strong Mayor powers, preferring collaborative council-based decisions. Here is what followed.
| The Promise | The Record |
|---|---|
| 2022 campaign: indicated he would not need Strong Mayor powers, preferring collaborative council-based decisions. | An independent analysis confirmed Ashe "used his strong mayor powers to take control of that municipality's budget process, contrary to a promise he made in the previous municipal election." |
| On receiving powers in 2023: pledged "transparent and inclusive decision-making, and actively seeking input from all stakeholders prior to exercising these new powers." | By September 2023, Mayoral Direction 01-2023 was issued to the CAO and Finance Director to control the 2024 budget — before council saw the document. |
| Committed to "meaningful dialogue with Members of Council, staff, residents, community organizations" before any exercise of powers. | In early 2026, when the Planning Committee moved to delay Northeast Pickering pending environmental studies, the Mayor used Mayoral Decision #11-2026 to override the delay and force a Special Council meeting. |
"Call me old fashioned but I like it the other way."
— Regional Councillor Maurice Brenner, on the Mayor's use of Strong Mayor powers to control the budget processCouncillor Brenner is a colleague of the Mayor — not a political opponent. When even a supportive colleague feels compelled to say publicly that the old way was better, that is a meaningful signal about how power is being exercised at City Hall.
Public record · Budget directives
Three years. Three budgets. One office.
Every city budget since Strong Mayor powers were granted has been initiated by a unilateral mayoral direction — logged on the City's own transparency page.
Direction to the CAO and Finance Director — 2024 City of Pickering Budget
Issued under Strong Mayor powers, setting budget parameters before Council saw the document.
Source: pickering.ca · Strong Mayors Powers transparency logDirection to the CAO and Finance Director — 2025 City of Pickering Budget
The Mayor's own 2025 Budget Highlights document states: "With Strong Mayor Powers, I took that as a challenge to try and minimize the financial strain on households."
Source: pickering.ca · 2025 Budget HighlightsDirection to the CAO and Finance Director — 2026 City of Pickering Budget
The pattern continues for a third consecutive year, with the budget's starting point set from the Mayor's office rather than the traditional Executive Committee process.
Source: pickering.ca · Strong Mayors Powers transparency logIn 2024, the scheduled budget amendment meeting was cancelled entirely — no councillor brought forward an amendment, after the procedural bar for proposing one (full line-by-line cost recovery) became too high to clear.
Case study
The Northeast Pickering Secondary Plan
1,763 hectares of rural farmland proposed for conversion into a community of 72,000 residents. The clearest example of how Strong Mayor powers were used to fast-track a major, controversial decision.
Unilateral letter to the Province
The Mayor used Strong Mayor powers to write directly to the Housing Minister requesting revocation of a 50-year Minister's Zoning Order on 3,445 acres of land reserved for a potential Pickering Airport — without a council vote.
Special Meeting forced over committee objection
When the Planning & Development Committee moved to delay a decision pending environmental and financial impact studies, the Mayor used Mayoral Decision #11-2026 to override the delay and call a Special Council Meeting.
OPA 54 passed 5–2 after a five-hour meeting
Council passed the Secondary Plan despite unresolved concerns: Class 1 farmland loss, Carruthers Creek watershed risk, and incomplete consultation with the Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation. Councillor Brenner was among the two dissenting votes.
Studies underway; construction years away
Environmental, subwatershed, and fiscal studies are now proceeding — funded by the Landowners Group. Progress is tracked at letstalkpickering.ca/NEP.
This is not about being against growth.
Pickering will grow. The northeast lands will likely be part of that future. The question is whether decisions of this magnitude deserve completed studies, a full public process, and genuine First Nations reconciliation before a framework is locked in. The responsibility of an elected official demands nothing less. The answer is yes — always.
My commitment
A different approach.
- I will never use Strong Mayor powers to remove Council from the budget process. The budget belongs to all of Pickering's elected representatives.
- Any letter or formal representation to the Province or federal government on land use will follow a council vote and public process.
- Strong Mayor powers, where used at all, will be exercised only after genuine consultation — and only for their intended purpose.
- I will publish a plain-language log of every exercise of mayoral authority, updated in real time.