11th City Manager’s Address: A New Deal for Toronto: What if They Say ‘Yes’

In its recent Long-term Financial Plan (LTFP), the City of Toronto declared that it is in a state of financial crisis. This crisis follows years of increasing financial strain brought about by a variety of factors, including responsibilities downloaded to the municipality, increased pressure to fund pan-regional services such as transit and shelters, and macroeconomic factors such as inflation and supply-chain problems. The LTFP demonstrated that a new deal must be struck: a deal that would enable the City to control its finances better and drive growth.

Mayor Olivia Chow and Premier Doug Ford have agreed that Toronto cannot achieve financial sustainability alone. Support is needed from both the federal and provincial orders of government to establish a New Deal for Toronto. As a result, the City is now engaged in the New Deal Working Group that will prepare recommendations by the end of November 2023.

On November 1, 2023, Toronto City Manager Paul Johnson discussed the importance of being ready for this crucial intergovernmental engagement — including the information needed to inform the discussions — and looked ahead to how the City is working towards financial sustainability.

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Speaker:

Paul Johnson

Paul Johnson is the City Manager for the City of Toronto. As the fourth largest city in North America, Paul oversees delivery of programs and services to more than three million people whose diversity and experiences make this great city Canada’s leading economic engine. A proud public servant, Paul is committed to making community connections and enhancing the quality of life for all Toronto residents. Away from work Paul is a basketball official who has “blown the whistle” at thousands of games at the local, provincial and national levels.

Moderator:

Sabine Matheson has been a principal at StrategyCorp since 1998 … although until 2022, she was known as John Matheson. But, thanks to Ontario’s Ministry of Health, she was able to pursue the goal of aligning her body with her true feminine self, and now appears before us today as a Sabine, a proud transgender woman. She is the founder of StrategyCorp’s Municipal Affairs Practice Group, which has served well over 150 municipalities across Canada on a variety of strategic projects. She is also strategic advisor to “Ontario’s Big City Mayors” on provincial relations and has been an advisor to AMO, AMCTO, and OMAA.  Since 2016, she has been the lead author of StrategyCorp’s influential Annual CAO Survey. Previously, Sabine served as Chief of Staff to Ontario’s Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. Since 2007, she has been an instructor in UOIT’s Municipal Management Program. Sabine was called to the Bar of Ontario in 1993, serves as StrategyCorp’s in-house counsel, and previously practiced law in Toronto with a major Bay Street firm.