The Ford government is facing political pushback after appointing Vaughan Mayor Steven Del Duca as the Chair of York Region, with another city mayor claiming the position creates a conflict of interest that could leave other municipalities with negative consequences.
On Tuesday, the Progressive Conservative government said Del Duca would serve dual roles for the next four years and would be given new powers to fast-track decision-making on provincial priorities, such as housing and infrastructure, while setting the budget for the Region of York.
While Del Duca, as Vaughan’s mayor, already serves as one of the 22 members of the York Region Council, the government appointment now gives him the power to overrule the council, which includes representatives from Markham, Aurora, Newmarket and Richmond Hill.
“I have a real concern on all levels,” Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti told Global News.
“This model of a sitting mayor sitting as the regional Chair, it’s a blatant conflict of interest, in terms of advocating for your city and then also having the levers at the region to be able to have a particular outcome.”
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Scarpitti also suggested the appointment was undemocratic because Del Duca could have “overriding power over nine mayors,” which he calls a “concentration of power” given the amount of money and resources the council oversees.
“That’s $5.2 billion budget at the region that you’re putting into the hands of one person,” Scarpitti said.
In a statement, Del Duca said he plans to advocate for all nine municipalities that form the region and would work with local politicians to push York’s priorities.
“I firmly believe that, in York Region, we cannot allow any one of our nine local municipalities to be left behind,” Del Duca said.
“I know that the spirit of collaboration and partnership have been key to our success, and I am keen to work closely with all members of Regional Council to deliver for our residents who are counting on us.”
The appointment also represents a remarkable evolution in the relationship between Ford and Del Duca, who once found themselves on opposing sides of a provincial election campaign.
In 2020, Del Duca won the Ontario Liberal leadership race and heavily criticized Ford’s actions during the COVID-19 pandemic – at one point calling on the premier to resign over unpopular measures designed to curb the spread of the illness.
During the 2022 election campaign, Ford called Del Duca a “failed” former minister of transportation who “didn’t build absolutely nothing.”
After his election as mayor of Vaughan, however, the two had a political reconciliation. Del Duca supported many provincial measures, including removing speed cameras from city streets, and Ford called him “my friend” and “one of the best mayors” in Ontario.
Scarpitti views it differently.
“I’ll just say this, when the premier said the President of the United States could kiss a certain part of his anatomy, he forgot to say that he’d have to push Stephen Del Duca out of the way,” Scarpitti said.
Scarpitti said his concerns stem from Del Duca’s time as a cabinet minister in Kathleen Wynne’s government when the city had to appeal directly to the Premier’s Office for favourable decisions related to the York University campus or the extension of the subway into York region.
“Steven Del Duca is no friend to the city of Markham,” Scarpitti said, noting that his city currently boasts the largest population size in the entire region.
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