Search Results for: IMFG Paper
IMFG Paper | 2018
Climate Finance for Canadian Cities: Is Debt Financing a Viable Alternative?
Gustavo Carvalho
This paper explores climate finance, the provision of financing by private actors for projects intended to decrease carbon emissions or make cities more resilient to the impacts of climate change. It analyzes four climate financing tools used in other jurisdictions – green bonds, environmental impact bonds, catastrophe bonds, and green banks – and their feasibility under current Ontario regulations.
Find out more »
Find out more »
IMFG Paper | 2017
Re-imagining Community Councils in Canadian Local Government
Alexandra Flynn and Zachary Spicer
In 2015, Toronto City Council asked city staff to review community councils as part of the City’s ward boundary review process. Toronto’s ward boundary review realigned the city’s wards, so the City now needs to set new boundaries for community councils. Staff has been directed to report back to Council in 2017 on the “impacts to governance and structure changes to the authority, duties, and function of community councils.” Meanwhile, in November 2016, the Province of Ontario introduced measures to strengthen the use of community councils across Ontario. There is thus a unique opportunity available to re-imagine the authority and use of Toronto’s community councils.
Find out more »
Find out more »
IMFG Paper | 2017
Paying for Water in Ontario's Cities: Past, Present, and Future
Harry Kitchen
Throughout much of the 20th century, water was seen as plentiful and water rates did not promote conservation. Today, water is treated as a relatively scarce resource and governments are concerned about financing new and rehabilitated infrastructure. However, most municipalities still do not set prices for water at levels that would encourage conservation, thereby allowing the overconsumption of water, and leading to increased demand for expensive infrastructure.
Find out more »
Find out more »
IMFG Paper | 2017
Financing Urban Infrastructure in Canada: Who Should Pay?
Enid Slack and Almos T. Tassonyi
IMFG is pleased to announce the release of a new paper, excerpted from the new book Financing Infrastructure: Who Should Pay?
The poor state of municipal infrastructure is the subject of frequent complaint in Canada. Roads are congested, transit systems are in need of major investments, bridges are crumbling, and water treatment plants need to be replaced. Municipalities continue to seek financial assistance from the federal and provincial governments, but are transfers really the best way to pay for municipal capital investments?
Find out more »
Find out more »
IMFG Paper | 2017
Land Value Capture and Social Benefits: Toronto and São Paulo Compared
Abigail Friendly
This paper describes and compares land value capture (LVC) tools in São Paulo and Toronto, and uses quantitative data to determine the benefits derived from the tools and expert interviews that explore the political and historical background associated with their use.
Find out more »
Find out more »
IMFG Paper | 2017
(Re)creating Boundary Lines: Assessing Toronto's Ward Boundary Review Process
Alexandra Flynn
When Toronto's Ward Boundary Review (WBR) began in 2013, the city's 44 wards varied widely in size, ranging from 45,000 to 90,000 residents. This paper sets out the contested legal terrain within which the City of Toronto’s WBR took place and assesses possible next steps, including the grounds for a possible Ontario Municipal Board appeal.
Find out more »
Find out more »
IMFG Paper | 2017
The Evolving Role of City Managers and Chief Administrative Officers
Michael Fenn and David Siegel
The often hidden, but very important, relationship between the municipal council and the public service is a key determinant of the success of any municipality. This paper offers some suggestions for positive ways in which the CAO model can develop and warns of some clouds on the horizon that could harm the Canadian municipal government system.
Find out more »
Find out more »
IMFG Paper | 2017
Climate Change, Floods, and Municipal Risk Sharing in Canada
Daniel Henstra and Jason Thistlethwaite
With a focus on urban flooding, this paper identifies and explains ways in which governments can share climate-related risks. It then evaluates whether and how these tools have been used in Calgary, Alberta, and Toronto, Ontario.
Find out more »
Find out more »
Search Research Archive
Radio-Canada: Enid Slack on Toronto and Montreal’s Property Taxes
January 20, 2025
The Agenda: Enid Slack on How Property Taxes Are Spent
January 14, 2025
CBC Winnipeg: Enid Slack on the Need for More Revenue Sources for Cities
December 24, 2024