IMFG
LightNews LightNews
banner
imfgtoronto.bsky.social
IMFG
@imfgtoronto.bsky.social
150 followers 200 following 77 posts
The Institute on Municipal Finance and Governance (IMFG) focuses on the finance and governance issues faced by cities and city-regions in Canada and internationally. Located in the School of Cities at the University of Toronto. www.imfg.org
Posts Replies Media Videos
Pinned
imfgtoronto.bsky.social
IMFG @imfgtoronto.bsky.social · 15d
1/ Over the past four decades, Canadian municipal law and the role of municipalities have evolved significantly. @bigcitypolitics.bsky.social bit.ly/4pOu9kL
Logos of IMFG, School of Cities, and University of Toronto Power and Purpose: The Quiet Evolution of Canadian Municipal Law Second Edition Zack Taylor, Craig Mutter, Joseph Lyons, and Alec Dobson IMFG Papers on Municipal Finance and Governance No. 74 2026
imfgtoronto.bsky.social
"'In Toronto, we have a 1.5 per cent increase in the levy every year for capital, and that's become something people have gotten used to,' she said."

IMFG Director Enid Slack commented to CBC Calgary on ways Canadian municipalities can pay for infrastructure.

www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
Calgary councillor says city can increase infrastructure spending to $5B without major tax hikes | CBC News
Calgary's essential infrastructure has come under scrutiny after last December's Bearspaw south feeder main break, the second such catastrophic water main failure in 18 months. City administration say...
www.cbc.ca
January 26, 2026 at 4:19 PM
Reposted by IMFG
bigcitypolitics.bsky.social
We’re proud to have produced this substantial expansion and update of our overview of municipal law in all 10 provinces and 3 territories in Canada. We draw some original and potentially contrarian conclusions. We hope this contributes to the ongoing debate about municipal authority and its limits.
imfgtoronto.bsky.social IMFG @imfgtoronto.bsky.social · 15d
1/ Over the past four decades, Canadian municipal law and the role of municipalities have evolved significantly. @bigcitypolitics.bsky.social bit.ly/4pOu9kL
Logos of IMFG, School of Cities, and University of Toronto Power and Purpose: The Quiet Evolution of Canadian Municipal Law Second Edition Zack Taylor, Craig Mutter, Joseph Lyons, and Alec Dobson IMFG Papers on Municipal Finance and Governance No. 74 2026
January 22, 2026 at 11:16 PM
Reposted by IMFG
uoftcities.bsky.social
Today, 4 p.m. ET: There’s still time to register for today’s info session about Leading Urban Change, our exec ed program on driving equitable urban transformation at local, regional, national levels. Have any inkling but need to know more? Ask the program leads anything calendly.com/school-of-ci...
January 21, 2026 at 3:37 PM
imfgtoronto.bsky.social
1/ Over the past four decades, Canadian municipal law and the role of municipalities have evolved significantly. @bigcitypolitics.bsky.social bit.ly/4pOu9kL
Logos of IMFG, School of Cities, and University of Toronto Power and Purpose: The Quiet Evolution of Canadian Municipal Law Second Edition Zack Taylor, Craig Mutter, Joseph Lyons, and Alec Dobson IMFG Papers on Municipal Finance and Governance No. 74 2026
January 21, 2026 at 4:00 PM
imfgtoronto.bsky.social
IMFG Director Enid Slack comments on how Toronto mayor Olivia Chow's budget represents a compromise.

ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/221...
Un budget municipal « électoraliste » à Toronto?
Après deux augmentations salées de l'impôt foncier en 2 ans, la hausse prévue est de 2,2 % cette année. La mairesse Olivia Chow met l'accent sur l'abordabilité.
ici.radio-canada.ca
January 14, 2026 at 4:50 PM
Reposted by IMFG
bigcitypolitics.bsky.social
I am excited to renew my association with the University of Toronto as I begin a six month visiting fellowship at the @uoftcities.bsky.social and the @imfgtoronto.bsky.social. I look forward to connecting with colleagues old and new, and getting lots of work done.
January 8, 2026 at 3:50 PM
imfgtoronto.bsky.social
"What is to stop a mayor from firing the zamboni driver at the local rink if they don't do a good job of cleaning up the ice there?”

IMFG Faculty Fellow Gabriel Eidelman reflects on the use of ‘strong mayor’ powers in Ontario since March 31, 2025.

www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
Less than half of 'strong mayors' were using powers before Ontario expanded system: reports | CBC News
Less than half of the province’s “strong mayors” were using their controversial powers in the months ahead of a sweeping expansion of the system to 170 additional communities, according to estimates b...
www.cbc.ca
December 15, 2025 at 3:39 PM
imfgtoronto.bsky.social
Miss our sold-out talk on "Maintaining and Renewing the Social Housing Stock: Canada in a Comparative Perspective"?

View the slides: imfg.org/research/doc...
Maintaining and Renewing the Social Housing Stock: Canada in a Comparative Perspective Speaker: Collin Bernard, 2025-2026 Richard M. Bird Post-Doctoral Fellow, IMFG Moderator: Kohbod Khandan-Barani. Manager, Programs and Research, IMFG December 8, 2025 @imfgtoronto #IMFGTalks Logos for IMFG, University of Toronto, School of Cities
December 9, 2025 at 4:46 PM
imfgtoronto.bsky.social
Did you miss IMFG's 13th Annual Toronto City Manager's Address with Paul Johnson?

Watch the video: imfg.org/research/doc...
Man standing beside stage with two chairs and a screen with an image of Toronto's City Hall.
December 3, 2025 at 4:20 PM
imfgtoronto.bsky.social
Want to keep on top of all of our news, reports, and events? Join our mailing list!

imfg.us1.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=...
IMFG: Institute on Municipal Finance and Governance Join our mailing list to receive the latest news of IMFG's events, papers, and updates. Logos: IMFG, University of Toronto, School of Cities
December 1, 2025 at 3:25 PM
Reposted by IMFG
lanrickbennett.bsky.social
Cc: @bikehfxlobby.bsky.social

The Governance of Homeless Encampments in Canada
Alexandra Flynn and Estair Van Wagner

@imfgtoronto.bsky.social @uoftcities.bsky.social

imfg.org/research/doc/
The Governance of Homeless Encampments in Canada Alexandra Flynn and Estair Van Wagner IMFG Papers on Municipal Finance and Governance No. 73 • 2025 Institute on Municipal Finance and Gover... 1,829 followers 1d • Edited • O New paper: The Governance of Homeless Encampments in Canada New IMG report identifies homeless encampments as an urgent human rights crisis and highlights how adopting new encampment strategies based on human rights will achieve a more dignified and efficient public outcome. The proliferation of homeless encampments in cities across Canada represents both a housing and a governance crisis. Municipal governments are being called upon to respond to a deeply complex issue within a legal, political, and fiscal environment that often constrains their options. Public discourse frequently frames homeless encampments as threats to public safety rather than the result of systemic failings, and this restrictive context often leads to municipal responses that are punitive and costly. In a new paper for the Institute on Municipal Finance and Governance (IMFG), Alexandra Flynn and Estair Van Wagner describe the legislative context of municipal encampment governance in Canada and examine various court decisions related to encampments. The authors discuss how municipalities have traditionally used public space regulations to respond to the crisis, identify barriers to improving encampment strategies, and highlight how rights-based approaches can produce outcomes that are more dignified and efficient than the status quo. https://Inkd.in/gKbk-AeH #homelessness #encampments #unhoused #municipalities #localgovernment #localgov #cities #charter #humanrights
November 28, 2025 at 8:18 PM
imfgtoronto.bsky.social
1/ The proliferation of homeless encampments in cities across Canada represents both a housing and a governance crisis. New IMFG report highlights how emerging human rights approaches can better address the issue. bit.ly/3Xl1hEX
Cities rely on their status as property owners to assert the authority to remove unhoused residents and their belongings, often invoking trespass laws and engaging law enforcement to carry out evictions. Alexandra Flynn and Estair Van Wagner The Governance of Homeless Encampments in Canada Logos for IMFG, University of Toronto, School of Cities
November 27, 2025 at 8:36 PM
imfgtoronto.bsky.social
New IMFG report identifies homeless encampments as an urgent human rights crisis and highlights how adopting new encampment strategies based on human rights will achieve a more dignified and efficient public outcome.

bit.ly/3Xl1hEX
Logos for IMFG, University of Toronto, School of Cities The Governance of Homeless Encampments in Canada Alexandra Flynn and Estair Van Wagner IMFG Papers on Municipal Finance and Governance No. 73, 2025
November 27, 2025 at 4:07 PM
Reposted by IMFG
logritax.bsky.social
✍️ Check out our latest blog, co-authored with the ACTG, that sums up the key findings from a diagnostic assessment of #PropertyTax potential in 3 Nigerian states!

🔗 logri.org/2025/11/prop...

Want to learn more? Read the policy brief on Kaduna State: logri.org/publication/...
November 24, 2025 at 8:37 PM
imfgtoronto.bsky.social
Still time to register for this afternoon's livestream of IMFG's 13th Annual Toronto City Manager's Address!

Paul Johnson will speak on "Feeding Focus and Starving Distraction: Focusing on Priorities to Deliver on Torontonians' Investment."

www.eventbrite.ca/e/livestream...
13th Annual Toronto City Manager's Address Image of a man in a suit Feeding Focus and Starving Distraction: Focusing on Priorities to Deliver on Torontonians' Investment November 18 at 4:30 pm Logos of IMFG, University of Toronto, School of Cities
November 18, 2025 at 3:10 PM
imfgtoronto.bsky.social
In-person event: Maintaining and Renewing the Social Housing Stock: Canada in Comparison.

On Dec. 8, Dr. Collin Bernard will draw on international cases to examine how different systems govern and fund the maintenance and renovation of their social housing stock.

www.eventbrite.ca/e/maintainin...
Tall brown buildings line a river with trees and boats below.
November 17, 2025 at 5:19 PM
imfgtoronto.bsky.social
The 13th Annual Toronto City Manager's Address is now sold out! However, our live stream registration is open.

www.eventbrite.ca/e/livestream...

Tuesday, November 18 at 4:30 pm.
November 10, 2025 at 3:15 PM
imfgtoronto.bsky.social
Join us for our 13th Annual Toronto City Manager's Address as
Paul Johnson speaks on "Feeding Focus and Starving Distraction: Focusing on Priorities to Deliver on Torontonians' Investment."

Nov. 18 at 4:30 at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy.

www.eventbrite.ca/e/13th-annua...
13th Annual Toronto City Manager's Address Feeding Focus and Starving Distraction: Focusing on Priorities to Deliver on Torontonians' Investment November 18 at 4:30 pm Logos for IMFG, University of Toronto, School of Cities
October 27, 2025 at 6:35 PM
imfgtoronto.bsky.social
1/ Property taxes are well suited to finance municipal infrastructure and services. But does the dependency on property taxes force municipalities to encourage real estate development as a way to improve their financial situation without having to raise taxes? bit.ly/FiscalGains
Representatives of several Québec municipalities have complained that this level of dependency on property taxes acts as a brake on the expansion of municipal services. Jean-Philippe Meloche Fiscal Gains from Real Estate Development: The Case of Québec Municipalities Logos for IMFG, University of Toronto, School of Cities
October 22, 2025 at 7:10 PM
imfgtoronto.bsky.social
New IMFG report evaluates the fiscal impact of real estate development on municipalities, by examining the relationship between municipal growth and property taxation in Québec.
bit.ly/FiscalGains
Logos for IMFG, University of Toronto, School of Cities Fiscal Gains from Real Estate Development: The Case of Québec Municipalities Jean-Philippe Meloche IMFG Papers on Municipal Finance and Governance No. 72, 2025
October 22, 2025 at 2:58 PM
imfgtoronto.bsky.social
“There are a lot of things that are new to municipalities that they weren’t doing 100 years ago that are putting a lot of pressure on their expenditures, but there aren’t any new revenue sources to pay for them,” said Enid Slack.

www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
The big headache for Calgary’s next council: How to pay for a growing city when everyone’s strapped | CBC News
It’s a problem as old as time for Canadian municipalities: how do you pay the bills when no one wants to pay more?
www.cbc.ca
October 21, 2025 at 1:54 PM
imfgtoronto.bsky.social
“When we've frozen property taxes year after year, the infrastructure starts deteriorating.”

IMFG Director Enid Slack discusses the impact of freezing property taxes with CBC Calgary as some municipal council candidates in Alberta vow to not to raise them.

www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
Some Alberta civic election candidates are vowing a tax freeze. Is it a good idea? | CBC News
Municipal candidates across Alberta are vowing to freeze property taxes. But putting a municipality’s main source of revenue on ice doesn’t translate well to the reality of running a city or town, sev...
www.cbc.ca
October 20, 2025 at 2:18 PM
Reposted by IMFG
lanrickbennett.bsky.social
Dusting off this all-star paper 'A New Agenda for Local Democracy: Building Just, Inclusive,
and Participatory Cities' via Brittany Andrew-Amofah, Alexandra Flynn, & Patricia Wood

h/t @uoftcities.bsky.social & @imfgtoronto.bsky.social

Cc: @progresstoronto.bsky.social

imfg.org/research/doc...
Title Page: IMFG Papers on Municipal Finance and Governance No. 60 • 2022 A New Agenda for Local Democracy: Building Just, Inclusive, and Participatory Cities Brittany Andrew-Amofah, Alexandra Flynn, and Patricia Wood About IMFG The Institute on Municipal Finance and Governance (IMFG) is an academic research hub and non-partisan think tank based in the School of Cities at the University of Toronto. IMFG focuses on the fiscal health and governance challenges facing large cities and cityregions. Its objective is to spark and inform public debate, and to engage the academic and policy communities around important issues of municipal finance and governance. The Institute conducts original research on issues facing cities in Canada and around the world; promotes high-level discussion among Canada’s government, academic, corporate, and community leaders through conferences and roundtables; and supports graduate and post-graduate students to build Canada’s cadre of municipal finance and governance experts. It is the only institute in Canada that focuses solely on municipal finance issues in large cities and city-regions. IMFG is funded by the City of Toronto, the Regional Municipality of York, the Regional Municipality of Halton, the Neptis Foundation, Avana Capital Corporation, and Maytree. Authors Brittany Andrew-Amofah is a leader in municipal policy and has worked in various policy, political, and media roles over the last 10 years. Her expertise focuses on social policy within a Canadian context, combining her passion for civic engagement and local governance. Brittany has a Master’s in Political Management from Carleton University, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Science with a specialization in social policy and equity from York University. Dr. Alexandra Flynn is an Associate Professor at the University of British Columbia’s Allard School of Law. Her teaching and research focus on municipal law and governance, including Indigenous-municipal legal relationships. She is currently working on several projects related to precariously housed people in Canadian cities. She has a long history of volunteer work in the areas of homelessness and access to justice, is a TEDx speaker, and i Abstract There is a crisis of growing inequality in Canadian cities. As COVID-19 spread through Canadian cities beginning in spring 2020, racial inequities became apparent, including biased enforcement of bylaws and higher coronavirus rates amongst racialized and vulnerable communities. These health care injustices exposed municipal decisions that have led to negative outcomes for marginalized groups, especially in policing, community safety, housing, homelessness, and bylaw enforcement. In response, cities have been called upon – again – to change their governance models to allow for greater participation and better include the voices and lived realities of racialized and marginalized people in decision-making processes. In a post-pandemic period of city building, where socio-economic and racial inequalities have been exposed, municipalities must incorporate social equity and explicit race-based lenses in their decision-making and reimagine their governance practices. This paper sets out the ways in which municipal governance frameworks have worked to exacerbate inequality, with suggestions on how cities can design more democratic and responsible models. These include greater engagement with equity-deserving communities and community bodies, modifications to existing governance models, and legislative changes. Key words: municipal governance, inequality, justice, inclusion, public consultation, local democracy, public participation, citizen engagement JEL Codes: D63, D73, Z18
September 29, 2025 at 10:48 AM
imfgtoronto.bsky.social
Join us for an in-person seminar on November 4 on Municipal Finance in Germany – Caught Between Investment Needs and Transformation Pressures, featuring Dr. Henrik Scheller.

www.eventbrite.ca/e/municipal-...
Man standing with arms crossed and windows behind him.
October 7, 2025 at 7:25 PM
imfgtoronto.bsky.social
IMFG Director Enid Slack was interviewed by CBC Edmonton about the mismatch between growing municipal responsibilities and stagnant revenue sources.

www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
Duties and division of powers: Which governments do what as Edmonton votes for new city council | CBC News
CBC Edmonton hit the streets to see how informed people are when it comes to understanding the different levels of government and their responsibilities.
www.cbc.ca
October 6, 2025 at 2:05 PM