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Strong mayors, weak deputies

Clarifying Ontario's patchwork of deputy-mayor roles

by MOULAVI M, SPICER Z
Strong mayors, weak deputies No matter how a municipality selects a deputy mayor, the imperative is the same: write it down, communicate it plainly, and keep it current. That is how councils can turn a governance patchwork into a durable public trust asset. Photo: Adobe Stock
Published in February 2026 - Page 31

Most people in Ontario can picture their mayor at a ribbon cutting or on the evening news. Far fewer could name the deputy mayor. Yet, in roughly two-thirds of the province’s municipalities, the deputy mayor quietly shapes agendas, steps in during absences, and represents council at key moments. Ontario’s evolving “strong mayor” system makes this role more important than ever.

A new provincewide scan of municipal practice reveals just how varied that role really is.

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