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Strong Mayor Powers

On April 9, 2025 the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing announced the expansion of strong mayor powers to the Township of Perth East along with 168 other municipalities with Councils consisting of 6 or more members. As a result, Part VI.1 of the Municipal Act, 2001, along with O. Reg. 530/22 was applied to the Township of Perth East on May 1, 2025. No housing targets or additional funding were made available to the municipalities who are part of this new expansion of strong mayor powers.

Under Part VI.1 of the Municipal Act, 2001, the Mayor has the following special powers and duties as the head of Council:

  • Appoint and dismiss the municipality’s chief administrative officer.*
  • Hire and dismiss certain department heads, and establish/re-organize departments.*
  • Create committees of council, assigning their functions and appointing the chairs and vice-chairs of committees of council.*
  • Propose the municipal budget, which would be subject to council amendments and a separate head of council veto and council override process.
  • Propose certain municipal by-laws if the mayor is of the opinion that the proposed by-law could potentially advance a provincial priority identified in regulation – such as building more housing and constructing infrastructure to support housing. Council can pass these by-laws if more than 1/3 of all members vote in favour.
  • Veto certain by-laws if the head of council is of the opinion that all or part of the by-law could potentially interfere with a provincial priority.
  • Bring forward matters for council consideration if the head of council 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 Protection of Privacy Act. Mayoral decisions are available below.

The Municipal Conflict of Interest Act requires the Mayor to disclose any pecuniary interest, direct or indirect, when exercising any of the power or duties assigned to them in Part VI.1 of the Municipal Act. Specifically, the Mayor:

  • shall, upon becoming aware of the interest in the matter, disclose the interest by filing a written statement of the interest and its general nature with the clerk of the municipality;
  • shall not use the power or exercise the duty with respect to the matter; and
  • shall not use their office in any way to attempt to influence any decision or recommendation of the municipality that results from consideration of the matter.

Mayoral Decisions

With the expansion of the strong mayor powers, the budget now becomes a duty of the mayor. Additional information can be found on our Budget Page.

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Contact Us

Ashley Carter
Manager of Legislative Services / Municipal Clerk

Email the Manager of Legislative Services / Municipal Clerk

Township of Perth East
25 Mill Street East
Milverton, Ontario N0K 1M0
T.: 519-595-2800 x223
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Contact Ashley Carter

Manager of Legislative Services / Municipal Clerk

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Perth County Open Air Fire Ban Lifted

PERTH COUNTY (August 25, 2025) – Effective at noon today, thanks to the recent rainfall, the open air fire ban will be lifted in the County of Perth, including the City of Stratford. Burn permits can now be issued and must abide by the respective municipality’s open air burn by-law.
With the monitoring of rainfall and vegetation conditions, Fire Chiefs are confident that residents can now safely burn. Please continue to practice safe burning by doing the following:

  •  Call your local fire department to obtain an open air burn permit.
  •  Closely supervise all outdoor fires. Make sure the fire is out before leaving the area.
  • Ensure that your open fire is the correct distance from all structures and other combustible materials.
  •  Never burn plastics, household garbage, construction debris, treated lumber or other laminate wood, tires, ashphalt products, pesticides, paint or aerosol containers, etc. These contain toxins that are harmful to people, animals and the environment when burned.
  • Avoid burning on windy days and be aware of wind direction when deciding to burn.
  • Never use gasoline or other flammable combustible liquids.

Have a source of water or equipment to move dirt/sand to extinguish the fire if necessary.
With weather conditions changing frequently during the summer months, we advise that the burn ban may be put back in place at anytime, if dry conditions return.
Farmers are still encouraged to be very careful with combining, as field fires can quickly overtake equipment, neighbouring crops and can spread quickly into adjacent woodlands. Having a fire extinguisher on board large equipment is highly recommended.
If you discover an uncontrolled/unattended open air fire, it is very important that you report fires immediately to 9-1-1. Do not delay reporting while attempting to control or extinguish the fire.
The Fire Chiefs in these municipalities wish to thank residents and visitors alike for their patience and co-operation during the fire ban.
If you have any questions regarding this order, please contact your local Fire Department.

Contact Jeff Bannon

Planner (County of Perth - Perth East)

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Contact Tyler Berry

Development Technologist

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Contact Jake Collings

Manager of Public Works

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Contact Loretta Wicke

Property Tax / Utilities Clerk

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Contact Paige Fletcher

Recreation Coordinator

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