In the Toronto policy and planning community, Section 37 (S37) of the Planning Act is the source of much debate and disagreement. This paper suggests there should be serious consideration of whether to abolish, reform, or replace it with alternative tools, such as inclusionary housing policies or fixed charges.
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Drawing on academic literature, media reporting, and some illustrative events, this paper takes a careful look at local government in Toronto and examines three of the major fault lines that are causing friction at City Hall.
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This paper analyzes economies of scale for two municipal services by considering how per-household municipal costs are affected by a municipality’s size. An econometric model is used to estimate costs associated with fire and police services using data for 445 municipalities in the Province of Ontario.
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This paper examines the system of municipal finance in Hungary with special attention to the current changes in the regulation and finance of Hungarian municipalities and the change in central control over municipal finances in general after 2008, and suggests possible reforms.
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Public parks and library systems across North America are experiencing fiscal distress. Short-term cost-cutting measures galvanize the community to oppose the reductions, but are there longer-term solutions to the funding problems?
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During 2011 and 2012, the Institute on Municipal Finance and Governance (IMFG) hosted a speakers’ series called Moving our Region on funding regional transportation. This report distills the key lessons from the series.
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Business property taxes in Ontario have fallen dramatically in the past decade, due to a series of reforms mandated by the provincial government. This paper discusses the likely impacts of the reforms on business location, wages, and land values, and the economic welfare of provincial residents.
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Baumeister’s paper suggests policy changes for using the development charge as a planning tool. Burgess reviews the risks to Canadian municipal finance from extreme weather and analyzes the financial tools that cities can use to prepare for extreme weather events.
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