On 24 October 2024 the long serving chair of York Regional Council, Wayne Emmerson, announced his retirement, two years early.
In an emotional farewell to members of the Regional Council he said his last day would be 29 November 2024. 
So, why is he going now?
Emmerson, clearly exhausted, sees battles ahead with the Ford Government. And he no longer has the stamina for it. He says the Regional Council needs someone to:
“lead you through those changes for the next two years and the four years to come… these are going to be difficult for you all… so don’t dig your heels in. Work with it.”
Oh dear! That's his parting advice: Go with the flow.
Sounds like Ford has more plans up his sleeve for York Region - a big player whose population is greater than five Canadian provinces.
Power to appoint
The Better Municipal Governance Act 2022 gives the Province powers to appoint:
"The Head of Council for Niagara, Peel and York for the term of office beginning in 2022" (see Schedule 3)
The excuse for this power grab was a municipal reorganisation that never materialised.
Emmerson was appointed for a four year term but is hanging his hat up with two years still to go.
So will Doug Ford appoint a new Chair of York Regional Council or leave it to the Regional Council to pick one of their own?
Either way, it will be a moment of high drama in municipal politics.
Ambush
Chris Raynor, the Regional Clerk, sets out the procedure for replacing Emmerson following the next Council meeting on 28 November 2024 but others fear a Ford ambush.
Markham Regional Councillor, Joe Li, who challenged Emmerson in 2022, tells the Regional Council on 7 November 2024 there are “rumours on the street” that Doug Ford is going to step in and appoint a new
Chair.
Emmerson wearily tells Li:
“We will wait till the 28th and 29th at the end of this month and see where the chips fall. But I wouldn't listen to any rumours.”
A strong self confident Regional Council with views of its own has, from time to time, caused problems for Ford and his developer friends. That’s why the Province stripped the Regional Council of its planning powers on 1 July this year.
Ford will appoint
Newmarket Mayor, John Taylor, and former Newmarket-Aurora MPP, Chris Ballard, predict Ford will appoint Emmerson's successor.
I don't know.
Ford could go for someone already on the Regional Council or, more likely, bring in a new face from outside.
Many members of the Regional Council are non starters. Markham's Mayor, Frank Scarpitti, bizarrely wants to abolish all nine lower tier municipalities and create a new megacity. With these outlandish views no-one is betting on him. Former Provincial Liberal Leader and now Vaughan Mayor, the lacklustre Steven Del Duca, wants a full-scale municipal reorganisation with his Council taking over many services currently run by York Region. He, too, could never be a Ford pick in a million years. King's Mayor Steve Pellegrini is against Highway 413 so that rules him out. Newmarket Mayor, John Taylor, could do the job with his eyes closed. But his fellow Regional Councillors see him as dangerously progressive on some issues. He wouldn't be a Ford pick.
Who will Ford tap on the shoulder?
Who knows?
Ford is influenced by the last person he spoke to.
As we've seen over the years, he makes it up as he goes along.
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Update on 2 December 2024: From the Ontario Newsroom: Ford Government appoints former Police Chief Eric Jolliffe as new Chair of York Regional Councl. and from Newmarket Today: Appointment reeks of cronyism
Update on 3 December 2024: From the Era: Jolliffe was appointed to Committee to dismantle Peel
Click "Read more" on how we got here.
How we got here
Newmarket Mayor, John Taylor, ran for Regional Chair ten years ago but Emmerson had it all stitched up. Taylor knew he was going to lose the vote but stood anyway. He believed there should be a contest. 
The Head (or Chair) of York Region – whose population is greater than five Canadian provinces – is decided by a vote in the Regional Council. The rest of us don’t have a say.
The former MPP for Newmarket-Aurora, Chris Ballard, thought this was indefensible (photo right).
He and many others wanted to see the Regional Chair elected by the voters at large. He introduced a Private Members Bill at Queen’s Park which was taken up by the Wynne Government and put into law.
I gave evidence to the Committee examining the Bill way back in 2016, pointing out the absurdity of having a powerful Regional Chair in charge of a multi-million dollar budget elected by a handful of people.
Doug Ford won the 2018 Provincial Election and overnight became a power in the land. In the middle of the 2018 municipal election campaign Ford capriciously decided to cut the size of Toronto City Council by half and, at the same time, reversed the Wynne Government’s decision to have direct elections for the Chairs of Regional Councils like York, which would have involved for the first time hundreds of thousands of real voters.
Emmerson confessed he couldn’t win an open election and on 26 July 2018 he said he would be withdrawing from the first direct election for chair:
“I have made this decision with the full support of my family. It is a difficult decision, but it is the right decision for me and those close to me.”
When Ford said he was going to change the law and return to the status quo ante Emmerson changed his mind. He was staying put.
York Regional Council 24 Oct 2024:
Regional Chair Wayne Emmerson: “…I'm hoping by the end of the month that we will have an idea what the province is doing and if they don't, this is the process but the (Regional) Clerk will finalize that in 2000 (sic) or at the end of this month. Councillor Li. (Photo right)
Regional Councillor Joe Li: Thank you, Mr Chair. I have had an opportunity to look at the report provided by the Commissioner of Corporate Services and Regional Clerk dated November 7, 2024. It states that under section 259 paragraph (1) (d) of the Act that a seat becomes vacant when a members resigns in writing to the Clerk. Once a seat becomes vacant, Council must declare it to be vacant at its next meeting. Unlike with lower tier vacancies, section 263 paragraph 4 of the Act specifically provides that for upper tier municipalities, a vacancy for the head of council must be filled in the same manner as originally appointed. Council has 60 days to make the appointment starting from the day the seat is declared vacant.
The following process described in the Council’s Procedure By-Law with some key points set out below that
- Nominees must be eligible York Region electors and need not be sitting Members of Council.
- That Nominees require a mover and seconder in support.
- That Council may choose to vote publicly or by secret ballot.
- That a successful candidate must receive the majority of the vote.
But there's a rumour going on the street that Premier Doug Ford is going to step up again to appoint a new chairman with an assault and direct interference in our democratic process. Contrary to the report that we just received it looks like members of regional council will not be allowed to elect our new chairman either publicly or by secret ballot.
I am a conservative and I am saddened to see what Premier Doug Ford did in 2018 by reversing the elected chair resolution passed by the previous Liberal government under premier Kathleen Wynne. To repeat one more time again on November 16, 2022 by introducing legislation with a handpicked (indistinct) candidate with the excuse that the Provincial Government had planned to change the current regional government structure within the next two years.
Now the two years came and passed by and we didn’t see any change happening. My question today would be: Are we still living in a democratic (country) like Canada (and) that we can exercise our right, you know, as outlined in our regional procedure by-law, that this Chamber will still allow the members of Regional Council to elect or appoint our new Chairman?
Wayne Emmerson: I'm not sure what you're asking me something or what are you asking? I didn't get the question.
Joe Li: I’m just putting… because there's a rumour flying about yeah…
Wayne Emmerson: I don't believe in rumours. I said that I will vacate this seat November 29th. And then that's what the report is telling… the next steps. And then council has to actually declare the seat vacant and then what happens from there you can decide but I won't be sitting here Councillor Li. I'm sorry but this is what I'm doing. So… and we do have two Acting Chairs in process for the time being in case something goes wrong. So that’s what it’s for. I understand your comments but that’s what it is and we will wait till the 28th and 29th at the end of this month and see where the chips fall. But I wouldn't listen to any rumours.
