Following the 2002 amalgamation, half Montréal’s pre-amalgamation suburbs de-merged in 2006, leading to the creation of a smaller megacity with 19 decentralized boroughs. This paper identifies factors that affect the capacity of Montréal’s boroughs to fulfil their responsibilities.
Find out more »

Can and should municipalities borrow more? What is the role of public-private partnerships (P3s) in addressing the municipal infrastructure gap?
Find out more »

Do we need to have local agencies, boards and commissions (ABCs)? What is the appropriate geographic boundary (local, regional, provincial, etc.) for a particular policy task? Who should sit on the board of the ABC and should they be appointed or elected?
Find out more »

This volume examines the governing structure and finances of metropolitan areas in federal systems. Taking a comparative approach, each chapter examines two large metropolitan areas in a federal country, including Australia (South East Queensland and Perth); Brazil (Belo Horizonte and São Paulo); Canada (Toronto and Vancouver); Germany (Hamburg and Central Germany); India (Hyderabad and Mumbai); South Africa (Cape Town and Gauteng metropolitan region); Spain (Barcelona and Madrid); Switzerland (Geneva and Zurich); and the United States (Louisville and Los Angeles).
Find out more »

The Ontario Municipal Board is an independent provincial planning appeals body that has wielded major influence on Toronto’s urban development. In this book, IMFG Fellow Aaron A. Moore examines the effect that the OMB has had on the behavior and relationships of Toronto’s main political actors, including city planners, developers, neighbourhood associations, and local politicians.
Find out more »

At a time when there is limited scope for large new public funding commitments for housing, new models and sources of investment are needed. How do local governments create the conditions for greater private participation in affordable housing in Ontario?
Find out more »

This paper reviews different ways in which the formal governance of metropolitan areas may be restructured, such as through two-tier structures, voluntary cooperation, special districts, and municipal mergers. It includes a case study of the amalgamation in Toronto.
Find out more »

This paper describes and evaluates density for benefit agreements (DBAs) in Toronto and Vancouver. DBAs allow municipalities to secure cash contributions or amenities from developers in return for allowing developers to exceed currently prevailing height and density restrictions.
Find out more »