What We Do Is What We Fund: The 5th Annual IMFG Toronto City Manager’s Address

What does the future hold for Toronto’s city finances? In his 2015 remarks to IMFG, Toronto City Manager Peter Wallace proposed a thought experiment about the future of Toronto’s fiscal sustainability. On October 17, he returned to that thought experiment, with the perspective he has gained over a year in office. Toronto is facing tough decisions in the coming years: does the City have the right toolkit to fund high quality public services and badly needed capital improvements? Do we have a solid foundation on which to position our city-building objectives?

About the Speakers

As City Manager for the City of Toronto, Peter Wallace is responsible for over 30,000 staff, a $12 billion operating budget and a $32 billion 10-year capital plan. With more than 30 years in public service, Peter has also served as Secretary of the Cabinet, head of the Ontario Public Service and Clerk of the Executive Council; Deputy Minister of Finance and Secretary of Treasury Board; Deputy Minister of Energy; and Deputy Minister and Associate Secretary of the Cabinet. He began his public service career in 1981 after completing a BA (Honours) in Political Economy and a Master of Public Administration from the University of Toronto.

Moderator Shirley Hoy’s public service career has spanned more than 30 years. Between 2001 to 2008, she served as City Manager for the City of Toronto. In the early 1990s she worked in the Ontario Government at the Assistant Deputy Minister level in 3 ministries. She is currently Chair of the Governing Council of the University of Toronto, and a member of the Board of Trustees of United Way of Toronto and York Region.