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.

This presentation explores some key challenges and considerations when it comes to fare integration in Toronto. How can lessons learned from other major cities help us to develop our own transit fare policies?

Hydraulic fracturing drilling – commonly known as fracking – makes up the majority of US oil output. Canada may soon follow. This presentation focuses on the impacts of boom-bust resource extraction cycles on local revenues and expenditures and intergovernmental relations.

This presentation discusses one of the most important changes in municipal administration — the rise of the City Manager/Chief Administrative Officer. It looks at the development of the position, as well as its strengths and some of the shoals that need to be navigated to ensure that the position continues to fulfill its important role.

Municipal governments across Canada are increasingly looking to inter-municipal agreements as a way to share the costs and delivery of some local services. As this practice increases, it is important to have a better understanding of the benefits and consequences of service sharing in Canadian communities.

Can debt financing be “green”? On June 21, IMFG post-doctoral fellow Gustavo Carvalho will talk about climate financing in Ontario cities, looking at financial instruments and strategies that have been successfully implemented elsewhere, with a focus on green bonds, environmental impact bonds, and green banks.

Every city wants to build its urban resilience and grow its capacity to absorb future shocks and stresses. How do local governments create cities that are resilient to the environmental, social, and economic challenges of the 21st century? What can Canadian cities do to become more resilient and inclusive?