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imfgtoronto.bsky.social
IMFG
@imfgtoronto.bsky.social
140 followers 200 following 57 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
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imfgtoronto.bsky.social
5/ However, growth-related gains turn out to be temporary because the corresponding rise in population ultimately puts a strain on services and leads to an increase in per capita spending. bit.ly/FiscalGains
The divergent impacts of growth and size on municipal finances, however, call into question the sustainability of this gain. 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
4/ Meloche adds that growing municipalities also benefit significantly from one-time growth-related revenues such as building permits, land transfer taxes, and development charges. bit.ly/FiscalGains
... growing municipalities had additional revenues equivalent to almost 7 percent of their tax revenues, compared with non-growing municipalities. 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
3/ Jean-Philippe Meloche shows that faster-growing municipalities tend to experience smaller increases or even decreases in their property tax rates, indicating a fiscal gain from development. bit.ly/FiscalGains
Québec municipalities with a population of 1,000 or more that had stronger real estate or population growth from 2008 to 2018 were also those in which tax rates increased the least (or decreased the most) over that period. 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
2/ New IMFG paper examines the relationship between municipal growth and property taxation in Quebec to evaluate the fiscal impact of real estate development on municipalities. bit.ly/FiscalGains
Although growth generates fiscal gains for municipalities, a larger size leads to higher per-capita spending. 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
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
Jean-Philippe Meloche and Fanny Tremblay-Racicot conclude the latest IMFG paper with observations of the state of eco-fiscal tools in Canada.

bit.ly/4mHizah

@fannyrose.bsky.social @enap-qc.bsky.social
Eco-Fiscal Tools and Municipal Finance: Current Practices and Opportunities By: Jean-Philippe Meloche and Fanny Tremblay-Racicot Municipalities are playing an increasingly important role in addressing climate change through the use of eco-fiscal tools. These tools, which include taxes, fees, and charges, influence behaviour in ways that impact the environment. This paper explains the advantages of eco-fiscal tools and explores the range of such mechanisms implemented by various Canadian municipalities. The authors argue that eco-fiscal tools, such as water charges, waste collection fees, and congestion pricing, are not only a source of revenue for municipalities, but also a means to incentivize climate-efficient behaviour. Read the full report: bit.ly/4mHizah Key findings Eco-fiscal tools should be seen not just as a way to diversify sources of revenue, but as a way to achieve certain environmental objectives. Although their potential is great, information on eco-fiscal measures remains anecdotal, apart from the use of pricing for water and waste. Québec municipalities are currently the only ones in Canada to be able to impose regulatory charges aimed at changing behaviour; the use of general taxation powers for environmental purposes remains relatively uncommon outside Québec. Measures currently being studied in Québec or operating as pilot projects need to be tested before they can be scaled up, which requires innovation and major administrative and political efforts. Logos for IMFG, U of T, School of Cities
September 3, 2025 at 6:17 PM
imfgtoronto.bsky.social
The report argues that fiscal tools, such as water charges, waste collection fees, and congestion pricing, are not only a source of revenue for municipalities, but also a means to incentivize climate-efficient behaviour. 3/4

bit.ly/4mHizah

@fannyrose.bsky.social @enap-qc.bsky.social
Actors for whom the costs of adapting to environmental standards are too high will pay the environmental tax, while those facing lower adaptation costs will modify their behaviour to avoid the tax. This is voluntary adaptation under constraint. - 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
Jean-Philippe Meloche and Fanny Tremblay-Racicot explain the advantages of eco-fiscal tools and explore the range of such mechanisms implemented by various Canadian municipalities. 2/4

bit.ly/4mHizah

@fannyrose.bsky.social @enap-qc.bsky.social
These taxes, fees, or charges correct market price signals to help internalize the social and environmental costs of individual choices, while providing financial resources to supply public goods and services. - 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
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