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Presented by Jessica Silver at the "Democracy from the Bottom Up: Unlocking the Potential of Community Councils" Event on Dec 12th, 2017
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Presented by Edana Beauvais at the "Democracy from the Bottom Up: Unlocking the Potential of Community Councils" Event on Dec 12th, 2017
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IMFG offers two graduate fellowships in municipal finance and governance. There is one application process for both fellowships. The top two candidates will each be awarded a fellowship.
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The Institute on Municipal Finance and Governance (IMFG), within the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, invites applications for a one-year IMFG Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Municipal Finance and Governance. Applications must be received by no later than Thursday, March 26, 2020 at 4:00 pm.
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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.
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Aversion to taxes presents a major policy dilemma for elected governments: voters want governments to deliver goods and services but are deeply suspicious of their efforts to raise taxes.
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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.
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On October 26, Peter joined IMFG to discuss how the City of Toronto can address challenges and invest in Toronto’s future. What key steps could Council and staff take? What strategic policy levers could be used? What financial and implementation capacity is needed to deliver on Council’s visions for future investments?
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