Browse Our Research
IMFG Paper | 2020
Theme and Variations: Metropolitan Governance in Canada
Zack Taylor
The question of how best to govern large urban areas has long preoccupied policymakers, particularly as metropolitan areas have become recognized as drivers of national prosperity and globalization. This paper identifies five governance models in operation across the country and identifies five themes and trends in metropolitan governance.
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Perspectives Paper | 2020
A Playbook for Voluntary Regional Governance in Greater Toronto
André Côté, Gabriel Eidelman, and Michael Fenn
The coronavirus pandemic has thrown into relief a range of health, social, and economic challenges for municipalities in the Greater Toronto region. These challenges – such as lack of affordable housing, income inequality, the need to spur economic development, and the impact of climate change – all spill across municipal boundaries and need to be addressed through cooperation and coordination at the regional scale.
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IMFG Paper | 2020
Collaborative Regional Governance: Lessons from Greater Manchester
Alan Harding
Alan Harding, Chief Economic Adviser to the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, describes the development of Greater Manchester’s primarily “bottom-up” form of regional governance. Harding offers four key lessons that can be taken from the Greater Manchester experiment
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Forum Paper | 2020
Charting A New Path: Does Toronto Need More Autonomy?
Kristen Good, Bruce Ryder, Enid Slack, Zack Taylor, and Patricia Burke Wood
Across Canada, and particularly in Toronto, calls for increased municipal autonomy and the protection of municipal authority in the Canadian constitution have been getting louder. These issues have become no less significant following the onset of the COVID-19 crisis, which has revealed the limits of municipal powers and financial resources, while also demonstrating the importance of provincial and federal support for municipalities in difficult times.
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Special Projects | 2020
Designing Property Tax Deferrals in Response to the COVID-19 Crisis
Enid Slack and Tomas Hachard
In an effort to provide financial relief to citizens and local businesses in response to the COVID-19 crisis, some Canadian municipalities are introducing or expanding property tax deferral programs. Designing Property Tax Deferrals answers 10 questions that municipalities should consider when designing property tax deferral programs, highlighting some considerations and implications.
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IMFG Paper | 2020
Power and Purpose: Canadian Municipal Law in Transition
Zack Taylor and Alec Dobson
Zack Taylor and Alec Dobson examine the state of municipal empowerment by presenting an overview of municipal law in Canada’s 10 provinces. They identify similarities and variations within and among the provinces in how they articulate the provincial-municipal relationship, municipal powers and jurisdiction, the organization of municipal institutions, and financial powers.
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Special Projects | 2020
In It Together: Clarifying Provincial-Municipal Responsibilities in Ontario
Gabriel Eidelman, Enid Slack, and Tomas Hachard
This report from Ontario 360, the Institute on Municipal Finance and Governance, and the Urban Policy Lab explores the relationship between the Province and Ontario’s 444 municipalities – how it has become so intertwined and why the time has come for a reassessment that ensures Ontarians receive the highest quality, most effective, and most efficient services from their governments.
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Video | 2019
Engagement to Action: Improving Policy Outcomes Through Better Consultation
In this video, experts from different sectors discuss the role of public consultation in policy development within the context of increasing polarization and erosion of trust.
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Search Research Archive
Municipal World: Enid Slack on Municipal Finance
March 5, 2024
Daily Commercial News: Aaron Moore on Winnipeg’s Infrastructure
February 23, 2024
The Public Record: Alexandra Flynn on the ‘Strong Mayor’ Powers
February 22, 2024