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Canadian cities are on the front lines addressing and dealing with the impacts of Canada’s major policy challenges, including the COVID-19 crisis. However, they remain “little siblings” in Canadian federalism, often ignored by the federal government or overruled by the provinces. This paper examines four specific challenges cities face because of this situation, as well as two fundamental steps that can be taken to address the imbalance in Canadian governance and fiscal relations.
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In this video, Toronto’s City Manager Chris Murray shares his thoughts on the learnings of the COVID-19 crisis and what he sees as the way forward.
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In this presentation, Toronto’s City Manager Chris Murray shares his thoughts on the learnings from the COVID-19 crisis and what he sees as the way forward.
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This paper surveys the status of cities in national constitutions and provides a comparative analysis of three significant recent attempts to strengthen the constitutional status of cities in India, South Africa, and Brazil.
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Many Canadian municipalities have taken hits to their budgets due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But what has the effect been on municipalities around the world? Have municipalities in different countries fared better than others? What accounts for any differences? What needs to be done to ensure municipalities bounce back?
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This paper identifies specific policy fields where new tri-level agreements could have a positive impact and closes with six principles to inform their design and implementation.
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In this video, a panel examines the continued impact of COVID-19 on municipal finance. How are municipalities preparing for their 2021 budgets? What impacts are they anticipating from COVID-19? What steps are needed at the municipal, provincial, and federal levels to safeguard the fiscal health of municipalities?
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The paper suggests that community consultation be integrated into the earliest stages of the planning process to ensure that such plans proceed into the expensive construction process with much broader support.
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