toronto city council

Toronto votes to take the province of Ontario to court

Toronto City Council has just voted to take the Province of Ontario to court over Bill 5, or the Better Local Government Act.

The bill passed last week and cut Toronto's council nearly in half. 

Council organized a special meeting today to debate their next steps, weigh legal options, and speak with the city solicitor. 

After a lengthy private session, council resumed in the public gallery and voted on whether it would challenge the province. The vote passed 27-15. 

From here, the city will "exhaust all legal avenues," according to the motion that passed. The hearing date for the court challenge is currently scheduled for August 31. 

About a dozen councillors introduced petitions from their wards' residents instructing them to oppose the cuts. Mayor John Tory also expressed his support for legal action against the province. 

City staff expressed that returning to a 47-councillor model by the time of the municipal election would perhaps not be possible. They have allegedly worked 18-hour days for three weeks preparing for the new 25-councillor model. 

Meanwhile, in a speech in Ottawa, Premier Doug Ford says he has "never ever had more positive feedback than what we did at the City of Toronto." 

The City's legal plan was also the subject to a vote, specifically on whether it would be released to the public. That motion did not pass. 

Lead photo by

Allan Chow


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