Ward 2 city councillor Fabio Costante is speaking out against Bill 3 or better known as the strong mayor powers legislation, set to expand to Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens and 25 other municipalities on July 1.
The strong mayor powers include allowing mayors to propose housing-related bylaws and pass them with the support of one-third of councillors, as well as override council approval of bylaws, such as a zoning bylaw, that would stymie the creation of more homes.
Strong mayors also have responsibility for preparing and tabling their city's budget, instead of council, and hiring and firing department heads.
Costante's stance has not changed and says he does not see the need for this legislation.
He says locally council is functioning fine.
"I think the way the system is set up right now is enshrined with checks and balances. I think we're able to carry on the business of the municipality in an orderly way."
He says the reasoning behind the legislation change is to do with housing, but says he hasn't seen a situation where local council has ever gotten in the way of meeting targets that we're set earlier this year.
"In fact we're exceeding our targets with respect to the 1300 units a year. When you look at the work the planning committee has done, and the work that council has approved, just recent as these last six seven months."
He says he's concerned when it comes to some of the language in the bill regarding giving mayors certain powers to advancing provincial priorities. He says the language is too broad.
Costante asked "What problem are we trying to solve locally?"
"I don't see an issue in us carrying on business and moving the city's agenda forward and moving our city forward. I haven't seen that in my four and half years on council," he said. "And frankly even as a council observer prior to being on council I haven't seen that in the last fifteen years or more. So I don't see what problem we're trying to solve."
Dilkens says in his time on city council, going back to 2006, he can't think of an instance where council has not acted reasonably in circumstances where the mayor would've had to intervene had these powers been in effect.
-With files from Live and Local