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Mayoral powers under the Municipal Act
Under Part VI.1 of the Municipal Act, the Mayor has the following special powers and duties as the head of City Council:
- Appointing the municipality’s Chief Administrative Officer.*
- Hiring certain municipal department heads and establishing and reorganizing departments.*
- Creating committees of Council, assigning their functions and appointing the chairs and vice-chairs of committees of Council.*
- Proposing the municipal budget, which would be subject to Council amendments and a Mayoral veto and Council override process.
- Vetoing certain bylaws if the Mayor is of the opinion that all or part of the by-law could potentially interfere with a provincial priority.
- Bringing forward matters for Council consideration if the Mayor is of the opinion that considering the matter could potentially advance a provincial priority.
*The Mayor may choose to delegate these specific powers and duties.
The Mayor is required to exercise these powers in writing and make them available to the public, subject to the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protections of Privacy Act. A public listing of Mayoral Decisions and Directions is available in the chart below.
For Mayoral decisions approving bylaws of City Council: Mayoral decisions and directions – City of Guelph
Mayoral decisions and directions
2026
| Date | Number | Subject matter |
|---|---|---|
2025
| Date | Number | Subject matter |
|---|---|---|
| July 2, 2025 | 2025-B8 | Direction – Planning Notices related to ZBA and OPA for 343 Waterloo Avenue |
| April 1, 2025 | 2025-B7 | Direction – 2026 City Budget |
| December 16, 2025 | 2025-A82 | Decision – 2026 Budget Amendment |
| November 26, 2025 | 2025-A80 | Decision – Shortening of the Mayoral Budget Veto Period for the 2026 Budget |
| July 2, 2025 | 2025-A62 | Decision – 343 Waterloo Avenue, July 22, 2025 Agenda Item Addition for Council Consideration |
2024
| Date | Number | Subject matter |
|---|---|---|
| December 3, 2024 | 2024-B6 | Direction – City Council Consultation on the 2026 and 2027 Mayoral Direction Regarding Budget |
| February 28, 2024 | 2024-B4 | Direction – Temporary Structured Encampment |
| February 28, 2024 | 2024-B3 | Direction – Strategic Real Estate Partnerships on Underutilized City Owned Assets |
| February 28, 2024 | 2024-B2 | Direction – 2025 City Budget |
| November 27, 2024 | 2024-A44 | Decision – Shortening of the Mayoral Budget Veto Period |
2023
| Date | Number | Subject matter |
|---|---|---|
| July 26, 2023 | 2023-B1 | Direction – 2024-2027 Multi-Year Budget |
| July 1, 2023 | 2023-A2 | Delegation – Organizational Structure of the Municipal Corporation |
| November 29, 2023 | 2023-A15 | Decision – Shortening of the Mayoral Budget Veto Period |
| July 1, 2023 | 2023-A1 | Delegation – Chief Administrative Officer and Committees |