Day 3 Recap
Mayors Panel III -
Cities & Civic Innovation
How must local governments be more innovative, more participatory, more transparent … and what is at stake for Canada if they cannot?
Moderator
Nigel Jacob, Co-Founder, New Urban Mechanics @ The Office of the Mayor of Boston
Panellists
Mayor Jeff Lehman, Barrie, Ontario
Mayor Ed Holder, London, Ontario
Cities & Multilevel Governance
Do cities perform better in unitary states or federal states? How do cities fare in multilevel jurisdictions, for instance, in the European Union where there are often more than three levels of government in a single country? In this moderated conversation, panellists will explore the implications of multilevel governance for the powers and performance of cities.
Moderator
Richard Albert, William Stamps Farish Professor in Law, Professor of Government, University of Texas at Austin
Panellists
Patricia Popelier, Professor, Faculty of Law, University of Antwerpen
Johanne Poirier, Professor, Faculty of Law, McGill University
Cities and Constitutional Change
Constitutional amendment is one option to give greater powers to cities in Canada, but it is extraordinarily difficult to amend the Canadian Constitution. Creating a provincial constitution is another option, but it has yet to be done here in Canada. Sub-constitutional means are possible but not durable. So, what is the path forward?
Moderator
Richard Albert, William Stamps Farish Professor in Law, Professor of Government, University of Texas at Austin
Panellists
Erin Crandall, Associate Professor, Department of Politics, Acadia University
Hoi Kong, The Rt. Hon. Beverley McLachlin, P.C., UBC Professor in Constitutional Law, Peter A. Allard School of Law, University of British Columbia
Emmett Macfarlane, Associate Professor, Department of Political Science, University of Waterloo
Emmanuelle Richez, Associate Professor, Department of Political Science, Adjunct Professor, Faculty of Law, University of Windsor
Cities & Policing
From the pandemic to racist policing, many have called for substantial changes in the ways cities structure municipal governance, services, and budgeting, including their relationships with policing. Are cities equipped to deal with these reform proposals? What is necessary to get the cities we need?
Moderator
Nathalie Des Rosiers, Principal, Massey College
Panellists
Akwasi Owusu-Bempah, Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology, University of Toronto
Keynote Address - R
an Hirschl
Constitutions and the City: Canada in Comparative Perspective
Against the backdrop of constitutional stalemate in addressing city status in Canada, this address will explore the comparative constitutional law and politics of several main scenarios of constitutional innovation concerning city status drawn from the recent experience of settings as diverse as South Africa, Brazil, India, Mexico, China, and the European Union.
Keynote Speaker
Ran Hirschl, Professor of Political Science and Law, Faculty of Law, University of Toronto
Moderator
Enid Slack, Director, Institute on Municipal Finance and Governance, Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, University of Toronto
21st-century Federalism: Constitutional Space for Cities
This session will aim to provide a summary of what we have heard and chart a future for the idea of ensuring and protecting constitutional space for Cities.
Moderator
Mary W. Rowe, President & CEO, Canadian Urban Institute
Panellists
Nathalie Des Rosiers, Principal, Massey College
Richard Albert, William Stamps Farish Professor in Law, Professor of Government, University of Texas at Austin
Alexandra Flynn, Assistant Professor, Peter A. Allard School of Law, University of British Columbia
Alan Kasperski, Executive Producer, City In Sight podcast