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1. Comparing Municipal Government Finances in Metro Vancouver, 2018 Edition

   Municipal governments play an important role in the lives of British Columbians by providing important services and collecting taxes. But municipal finances do not receive the same degree of public scrutiny as the finances of senior governments. This can ...

2. Urban density doesn’t necessarily determine living standards

   Quality of living—sometimes called “liveability”—is a notoriously hard thing to define because, as individuals, we often don’t share identical preferences. Nevertheless, several organisations have tried to measure liveability across ...

3. Housing takes centre stage in Toronto election

   Though Toronto’s mayoral election is still months away, this has not stopped candidates from trading barbs on hot button issues. In particular, it appears housing has taken centre stage, with frontrunner candidates (current Mayor John ...

4. Fewer elected officials—not a good way for Toronto City Hall to save money

   Toronto city councillors represent a minor fraction of city spending. ...

5. Toronto City Council reduction—a distraction from greater priorities

   Ford plan's reported savings represent only $2.33 per Torontonian per year. ...

6. Don't lose sight of bread and butter issues in Toronto

   Appeared in the Toronto Sun, July 25, 2018 Premier Doug Ford inherited some significant challenges. Ontario is on track to run multi-billion dollar deficits for several years, which will inflate the province’s already large debt levels. Energy costs and ...

7. Vancouver—where dynamic people and stagnant governments collide

   It’s fair to say that Vancouver considers itself a dynamic place. Provincial and local governments alike tout the Lower Mainland as a great place to live, visit and do business—with a rising tech hub, where new ideas flourish. But, while ...

8. Ontario throne speech ignores housing affordability

   In the Greater Toronto Area, home prices are 50 per cent higher than they were during Ontario’s last election in 2014. ...

9. It’s possible to build our way to housing affordability

   Housing continues to make headlines across the country, with many Canadians lamenting the high cost of homes particularly in our big cities. And yet, the best way to maintain broad affordability in prized housing markets is to build a ...

10. Toronto takes small step forward with laneway houses

    Toronto City Council recently approved an important amendment to its planning rules, allowing homeowners to add laneway units to their properties without changing zoning bylaws. Such units—standalone rental homes facing lanes or alleys ...