Ontario Municipal Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Survey 2023

Since 2016, StrategyCorp has conducted a wide-ranging survey of municipal Chief Administrative Officers (CAOs) from across Ontario to hear their views on the most pressing issues facing local governments today.

This year, we interviewed 28 CAOs from municipalities big and small, from upper, lower and single tier jurisdictions, and from every corner of the province. We conducted these interviews in the early summer, at a time when many municipalities were dealing with flooding, or forest fires, or poor air-quality resulting from fires burning hundreds of kilometres away.

Ontario CAOs are grappling with a broad spectrum of issues, from evergreen concerns around financial sustainability and human resources to increasing growth pressures and systemic social challenges including poverty, homelessness, and mental health, and addictions.

This year’s CAOs weigh in on it all, giving us insight into what the municipal sector’s leading public servants are thinking at this turning point in Ontario’s history.

Download the full 2023 report here.