Events

His Worship Mayor Don Iveson of Edmonton is joined in conversation with Professor Richard Florida on a number of topics and issues related to the Role of Big Cities in Canada. This event is part of the Big City, Big Ideas series, which features global leaders in urban and regional policy.

In an era when all large cities are struggling to maintain balanced budgets and pay for increased services and infrastructure, Is Your City Healthy? is a timely publication that explores the elements of fiscal health, how we measure it, and why it is important.

This presentation focuses on the policy processes involved in implementing the Clean Water Act (2006), and outlined the practical and policy challenges of setting up the Toronto and Region Source Protection Authority with the involvement of municipal and non-municipal stakeholders.

In his first public address since taking office in July, Toronto City Manager Peter Wallace shares his perspectives on the City’s finances, and on the opportunities and challenges to achieving key social, economic, city-building, environmental, and governance objectives.

Tax Increment Financing (TIF) is among the new financing approaches being considered by city governments in Canada to finance their share of infrastructure spending. Can cities in Canada rely on the revenues generated by TIF? What are the mechanics of assessing the uplift from a TIF before a project is implemented? How much money has it actually raised in practice?

The national infrastructure deficit has been estimated at close to $400 billion, and much of it rests at the municipal level. Before local governments can raise these funds – through taxes, fees, or other revenue sources – residents must trust that the money is needed and that it will be spent wisely.

In this presentation, Zack Taylor explores findings from his recent IMFG Paper on the meaning of good local governance for Canadian cities, and how to measure it.

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?

Sydney and Toronto share remarkable similarities in culture, community and global economic status, and in major waterfront and city centre revitalization. This event features a discussion on the very different ways these cities are achieving similar goals from the leaders of waterfront renewal in both cities.

Which new financial instruments and strategies could municipalities rely on to take advantage of today’s low interest rates? What can we learn from municipal lending markets elsewhere?