After municipal elections this fall, Ontario’s Progressive Conservative government plans to announce who will lead eight regional governments — Durham, Halton, York, Peel, Niagara, Muskoka, Waterloo and Simcoe County. It will endow these new appointed chairs for regions, which make decisions on police, roads, water, wastewater, roads and social services, with “strong-mayor” powers, letting them present budgets and overrule council votes with only one-third support. Already a Subscriber?