'Affront to democracy': Nothing stopping mayors from being appointed regional chair

Waterloo Region and seven other municipalities face the prospect of having government-appointed regional chairs who have also been elected as mayors, under current regulations that contain no legal barriers to such appointments. This dual role would grant the affected officials both strong-chair and strong-mayor powers.

The legislative arrangement has drawn sharp criticism, with opponents characterizing the potential appointments as an "affront to democracy" due to the concentration of authority in single individuals holding multiple powerful municipal offices.