The Ottawa Board of Control was an important part of the governance of

Ottawa, Ontario Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

from 1908 until 1980 when it was abolished. Through the 19th century Ottawa had been governed by a

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

and

city council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, borough counc ...

, but most councillors were only part-time and could spend only a few hours per week on municipal issues. The board was elected across the entire city of Ottawa with the four candidates receiving the most votes being added to the board. The member of the board of control who received the most votes was also made deputy mayor, and was the legal successor to the mayor should they resign or die in office. The board of control was abolished in 1980 by the Ontario Municipal Board after a council vote for its abolition.

History

Mayor Arthur Ellis found this problematic as there was little time for real scrutiny of important issues. He thus proposed creating a five member board of control consisting of the mayor and four members elected at large from across the city. At the same time the number of councillors would be reduced by a third. The city council rejected this plan, as it would reduce both their authority and their numbers. In the 1908 municipal election the question was brought to a referendum, and was approved and the new board was created. In 1910 city council held a second referendum on whether the board should be abolished, and the people of Ottawa overwhelmingly voted in favour of keeping the board.

Controllers

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ottawa Board Of Control Municipal government of Ottawa