Toronto needs new ways to get citizens involved in politics, says former councillor

A special committee on governance to be formed this week should take a hard look at what other cities have done to encourage residents to get involved in municipal politics, says a former city councillor.

Brian Ashton, who represented Scarborough Southwest at Toronto city council until 2010, said the committee could recommend that the city expand the role of its four community councils as Toronto grapples with how to function with a smaller council.

The community councils are set to meet on Tuesday for the first time since October's municipal election.

"What's happened now is you've cut the council in half and you've doubled the distance between the community and city hall," Ashton told CBC Radio's Metro Morning on Monday.

"You are seeing a concentration of power at city hall and a concentration of power in the mayor's office. People are feeling distant from council and their political institutions. They're disillusioned. There's a degree of distrust," he said.

"You got to get the politicians back into the community somehow."

The community councils, made up of elected officials, represent Etobicoke York, North York, Toronto and East York, and Scarborough. The councils were formed after the city was amalgamated in 1998.

According to the city's website, community councils make recommendations and decisions on local planning, development and neighbourhood matters. They report to council but can make final decisions on such items as fence by-law exemptions and appointments to local boards and business improvement areas.

"I think now you have an opportunity to say: 'Let's rethink, let's re-imagine what we could do with community councils. Let's find ways of perhaps reviewing how New York does it or how L.A. does it with getting volunteers involved right at the grassroots level.' "

Getting people involved may mean sharing power, he added.

"It's going to be difficult," he said.

But he said it's not impossible. "If you share it and lead properly, you don't have anything to worry about."

As for the special committee on governance, council is expected to name its members when the striking committee meets on Wednesday, according to city spokesperson Deborah Blackstone.