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imfgtoronto.bsky.social
IMFG
@imfgtoronto.bsky.social
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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
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IMFG @imfgtoronto.bsky.social · 27d
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
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
imfgtoronto.bsky.social
Latest IMFG report examines how municipalities can use innovative eco-fiscal tools, such as taxes, fees, and charges, to influence behaviour to help fight climate change.

bit.ly/4mHizah

@fannyrose.bsky.social

@enap-qc.bsky.social
Logos for IMFG, University of Toronto, School of Cities Eco-Fiscal Tools and Municipal Finance: Current Practices and Opportunities Jean-Philippe Meloche and Fanny Tremblay-Racicot IMFG Papers on Municipal Finance and Governance No. 71 2025
September 17, 2025 at 3:21 PM
imfgtoronto.bsky.social
Don't want to miss our upcoming City Manager's Address or our latest paper?

Keep up with the latest in IMFG's papers, events, and updates by subscribing to our mailing list here.

imfg.us1.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=...
Large logo of 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
September 9, 2025 at 4:25 PM
imfgtoronto.bsky.social
Former IMFG Post-Doctoral Fellow Julie Mah’s study on Toronto landlords’ behaviour around evictions was profiled in the Toronto Star.
She examined about 230,000 eviction applications in Toronto from 2010 to 2019 across purpose-built rental apartments with 20+ units.

www.thestar.com/real-estate/...
Canada’s largest private landlord often dramatically increases eviction applications after acquiring buildings, study finds
Starlight Investments filed 15 eviction applications per 100 units each year, while chain owned and managed properties filed seven applications per 100 units, a recent study found.
www.thestar.com
September 8, 2025 at 2:56 PM
imfgtoronto.bsky.social
New IMFG report examines how municipalities can use innovative eco-fiscal tools, such as taxes, fees, and charges, to influence behaviour to help fight climate change. 1/4

bit.ly/4mHizah

@fannyrose.bsky.social @enap-qc.bsky.social
Eco-fiscal tools, which are based on the “polluter pays” principle, are distinguished by the nature of their tax base, which consists of pollutants or polluting activities. - Jean-Philippe Meloche, Fanny Tremblay-Racicot Eco-Fiscal Tools and Municipal Finance: Current Practices and Opportunities Logos for IMFG, University of Toronto, School of Cities
September 3, 2025 at 6:17 PM
imfgtoronto.bsky.social
IMFG Director Enid Slack was interviewed by The Economist to discuss what local autonomy New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani has in terms of the city budget.

www.economist.com/united-state...
Zohran Mamdani is promising lots of things he can’t actually do
A few reasons to be relaxed about the plans of the Democratic front-runner to be New York’s mayor
www.economist.com
September 2, 2025 at 2:57 PM
Reposted by IMFG
lanrickbennett.bsky.social
I keep coming back to this amazing piece, 'A New Agenda for Local Democracy: Building Just, Inclusive, and Participatory Cities' via @imfgtoronto.bsky.social @uoftcities.bsky.social
It's still an amazing blueprint by Andrew-Amofah, Flynn
and Wood #TOpoli
utoronto.scholaris.ca/items/a944de...
A New Agenda for Local Democracy: Building Just, Inclusive, and Participatory Cities
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 byla...
utoronto.scholaris.ca
July 20, 2025 at 2:39 PM
imfgtoronto.bsky.social
"As economist Harry Kitchen and IMFG colleagues have explained: when one property pays too little tax, others must overpay to make up the difference. A general reassessment helps ensure everyone pays their fair share."

renxhomes.ca/why-ontario-...?

Alt text: Aerial view of homes and buildings
Why Ontario taxpayers should want a property value reassessment
GUEST SUBMISSION: If you pay property tax in Ontario, you have likely heard about the ongoing delay of the province-wide general reassessment. You may think that you are benefiting from this delay, bu...
renxhomes.ca
July 30, 2025 at 4:56 PM
imfgtoronto.bsky.social
Strong mayor powers coming to Nova Scotia? IMFG Fellow Zack Taylor spoke to Halifax’s The Chronicle Herald on the use of strong mayor powers in Ontario.

www.saltwire.com/nova-scotia/...
Ontario councillor’s advice to Halifax: In the wrong hands, strong mayor powers ‘can be extremely detrimental’
Ontario experts weigh in on experiences with strong mayor power and give advice to Nova Scotians
www.saltwire.com
July 24, 2025 at 3:51 PM
Reposted by IMFG
lanrickbennett.bsky.social
"It’s the beginning of the end of the industrial waterfront in Toronto," Dr. Eidelman said. "It’s the beginning of a completely new idea of what the Port Lands can be." - @alexbozikovic.bsky.social

h/t
@imfgtoronto.bsky.social‬ @uoftcities.bsky.social
www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/artic...
After 18 years of work, Toronto’s Port Lands opens to the public
Now known as Biidaasige Park, the project is part of $1.5-billion effort to renew the area’s ecological and Indigenous past
www.theglobeandmail.com
July 18, 2025 at 2:51 PM
imfgtoronto.bsky.social
IMFG Fellow Alexandra Flynn argues that municipalities aren’t just service providers: they have the tools and authority to realize housing rights.

Human Rights Cities: Realizing the Right to Housing at the Municipal Scale - bit.ly/44hOYO5
Red-haired woman in white shirt standing in front of black backdrop.
July 15, 2025 at 7:24 PM
imfgtoronto.bsky.social
IMFG Fellow Aaron Moore comments in the Winnipeg Free Press about changes to the city’s transit system.

www.winnipegfreepress.com/business/202...
Graham Avenue transit shift leaves businesses wary of seasonal foot traffic
Downtown businesses reliant on bus-takers have watched sales plummet immediately following a Graham Avenue transitway overhaul
www.winnipegfreepress.com
July 14, 2025 at 4:21 PM
imfgtoronto.bsky.social
The Pointer refers to IMFG's 2022 report The Municipal Role in Climate Policy as Peel Region releases its progress report on its Climate Change Master Plan.

thepointer.com/article/2025...
During a week when climate change felt closer than ever, Peel councillors learned they’re getting further away from stopping it
During a week when climate change felt closer than ever, Peel councillors learned they’re getting further away from stopping it
thepointer.com
July 8, 2025 at 2:24 PM
imfgtoronto.bsky.social
IMFG Director Enid Slack was on the podcast Century of Cities. Listen as she talks about the fiscal future of Canadian cities.

www.thecenturyofcities.com/podcast-epis...
Woman in blue in front of blurred background with grass.
July 3, 2025 at 2:59 PM
imfgtoronto.bsky.social
Watch as the CAOs of York, Peel, and Durham regions discuss how they are navigating the impact of tariffs, the influx of refugees and asylum seekers, and the nexus between development charges and housing affordability.

imfg.org/research/doc...
Four people seated on stage with table with water jug in front and a large screen with text behind.
June 26, 2025 at 7:09 PM