Charting A New Path: Does Toronto Need More Autonomy?
This paper is part of the IMFG Forum Papers series. For a full list of papers, please visit: https://munkschool.utoronto.ca/imfg/research/research-types/forums/ Across Canada, and particularly in Toronto, calls for increased municipal autonomy and the protection of municipal authority in the Canadia...
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ftunivtoronto:oai:localhost:1807/100602 2023-05-15T17:23:05+02:00 Charting A New Path: Does Toronto Need More Autonomy? Good, Kristin R. Ryder, Bruce Slack, Enid Taylor, Zack Wood, Patricia Burke 2020-05-21 http://hdl.handle.net/1807/100602 en_ca eng Institute on Municipal Finance and Governance 978-0-7727-1031-4 http://hdl.handle.net/1807/100602 city charter Policy Report 2020 ftunivtoronto 2020-06-17T12:31:21Z This paper is part of the IMFG Forum Papers series. For a full list of papers, please visit: https://munkschool.utoronto.ca/imfg/research/research-types/forums/ Across Canada, and particularly in Toronto, calls for increased municipal autonomy and the protection of municipal authority in the Canadian constitution have been getting louder. On November 28, 2019, the Institute on Municipal Finance and Governance (IMFG) convened a public panel discussion in partnership with the Urban Land Institute–Toronto to explore these issues, particularly the question of whether Toronto needs a constitutionally entrenched city charter. These issues have become no less significant following the onset of the COVID-19 crisis, which has revealed the limits of municipal powers and financial resources, while also demonstrating the importance of provincial and federal support for municipalities in difficult times.This paper contextualizes and summarizes the speakers’ remarks to explore whether Toronto needs greater autonomy, and if so, how that might be achieved. The event examined the pros and cons of a constitutional amendment to entrench municipal authority. Bruce Ryder, Associate Professor of Law at Osgoode Hall Law School, noted that a single-province amendment being proposed by some groups has been used before to change religious education rights in several provinces, including Québec and Newfoundland and Labrador, and so could be a feasible way to secure more autonomy for Toronto or other cities through a constitutionally protected city charter. Kristin Good, Associate Professor of Political Science at Dalhousie University, defended the need for greater municipal autonomy, but raised concerns with entrenchment of municipal authority in the Canadian constitution. She argued instead for a more flexible option: protecting municipalities in provincial constitutions using “manner and form” provisions that would create a higher bar, such as a two-thirds majority, to amend laws that establish municipal systems. This option, she argued, recognizes both that local government is a provincial matter of jurisdiction and that provinces continue to have an important role to play in governing metropolitan areas and municipal affairs in the interest of the province as a whole. Patricia Wood, Professor of Geography at York University, argued that it is important to consider the quality of local governance and democracy for all residents of the city. If a city charter is a solution crafted by and for the privileged, she argued, it will do little to bridge the city’s growing racialized socio-economic polarization. Finally, Zack Taylor, Assistant Professor of Political Science and Director of the Centre for Urban Policy and Local Governance at Western University, noted that the American experience shows that constitutional protection of municipalities could make provinces less likely to address urban and metropolitan policy problems. If the major policy challenges found in our cities require the mobilization of all levels of government, we need to increase incentives for collaborative governance, not reduce them. Institute on Municipal Finance & Governance Other/Unknown Material Newfoundland University of Toronto: Research Repository T-Space Newfoundland Canada Ryder ENVELOPE(-68.333,-68.333,-67.566,-67.566) |
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city charter Good, Kristin R. Ryder, Bruce Slack, Enid Taylor, Zack Wood, Patricia Burke Charting A New Path: Does Toronto Need More Autonomy? |
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city charter |
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This paper is part of the IMFG Forum Papers series. For a full list of papers, please visit: https://munkschool.utoronto.ca/imfg/research/research-types/forums/ Across Canada, and particularly in Toronto, calls for increased municipal autonomy and the protection of municipal authority in the Canadian constitution have been getting louder. On November 28, 2019, the Institute on Municipal Finance and Governance (IMFG) convened a public panel discussion in partnership with the Urban Land Institute–Toronto to explore these issues, particularly the question of whether Toronto needs a constitutionally entrenched city charter. These issues have become no less significant following the onset of the COVID-19 crisis, which has revealed the limits of municipal powers and financial resources, while also demonstrating the importance of provincial and federal support for municipalities in difficult times.This paper contextualizes and summarizes the speakers’ remarks to explore whether Toronto needs greater autonomy, and if so, how that might be achieved. The event examined the pros and cons of a constitutional amendment to entrench municipal authority. Bruce Ryder, Associate Professor of Law at Osgoode Hall Law School, noted that a single-province amendment being proposed by some groups has been used before to change religious education rights in several provinces, including Québec and Newfoundland and Labrador, and so could be a feasible way to secure more autonomy for Toronto or other cities through a constitutionally protected city charter. Kristin Good, Associate Professor of Political Science at Dalhousie University, defended the need for greater municipal autonomy, but raised concerns with entrenchment of municipal authority in the Canadian constitution. She argued instead for a more flexible option: protecting municipalities in provincial constitutions using “manner and form” provisions that would create a higher bar, such as a two-thirds majority, to amend laws that establish municipal systems. This option, she argued, recognizes both that local government is a provincial matter of jurisdiction and that provinces continue to have an important role to play in governing metropolitan areas and municipal affairs in the interest of the province as a whole. Patricia Wood, Professor of Geography at York University, argued that it is important to consider the quality of local governance and democracy for all residents of the city. If a city charter is a solution crafted by and for the privileged, she argued, it will do little to bridge the city’s growing racialized socio-economic polarization. Finally, Zack Taylor, Assistant Professor of Political Science and Director of the Centre for Urban Policy and Local Governance at Western University, noted that the American experience shows that constitutional protection of municipalities could make provinces less likely to address urban and metropolitan policy problems. If the major policy challenges found in our cities require the mobilization of all levels of government, we need to increase incentives for collaborative governance, not reduce them. Institute on Municipal Finance & Governance |
format |
Other/Unknown Material |
author |
Good, Kristin R. Ryder, Bruce Slack, Enid Taylor, Zack Wood, Patricia Burke |
author_facet |
Good, Kristin R. Ryder, Bruce Slack, Enid Taylor, Zack Wood, Patricia Burke |
author_sort |
Good, Kristin R. |
title |
Charting A New Path: Does Toronto Need More Autonomy? |
title_short |
Charting A New Path: Does Toronto Need More Autonomy? |
title_full |
Charting A New Path: Does Toronto Need More Autonomy? |
title_fullStr |
Charting A New Path: Does Toronto Need More Autonomy? |
title_full_unstemmed |
Charting A New Path: Does Toronto Need More Autonomy? |
title_sort |
charting a new path: does toronto need more autonomy? |
publisher |
Institute on Municipal Finance and Governance |
publishDate |
2020 |
url |
http://hdl.handle.net/1807/100602 |
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ENVELOPE(-68.333,-68.333,-67.566,-67.566) |
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Newfoundland Canada Ryder |
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Newfoundland Canada Ryder |
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Newfoundland |
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Newfoundland |
op_relation |
978-0-7727-1031-4 http://hdl.handle.net/1807/100602 |
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1766110170368180224 |