IMFG

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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

Street scene of buildings and a road on top Logos of IMFG, University of Toronto, School of Cities IMFG Municipal Pre-election Series Moncton Mathieu Wade & Gabriel Arsenault April 2026
Cover of Inside Public-Sector Innovation with faint text underneath. The book cover includes what looks like a cityscape outlined in yellow against a blue backdrop and yellow grid lines. Around the book, is the same image but larger.
Train on bridge to right and buildings under construction with cranes to left. Mountains in background.
Rebana, Forum of Federations The State of Urbanization Scaling up the Metropolitan Model in Indonesia Images of panelists Register Now with qr code
Power and Purpose: The Quiet Evolution of Canadian Municipal Law By Zack Taylor, Craig Mutter, Joseph Lyons, and Alec Dobson Over the past four decades, the role of municipalities in Canada has evolved significantly. This paper provides an accessible and systematic overview of municipal authority and responsibilities across all ten provinces and three territories. The authors find that while the general trend has been toward more permissive authority and the recognition of municipalities as democratic and accountable governments, significant variation persists in both law and practice across - and within - provinces and territories. Read the full report: https://bit.ly/4pOu9kL Key Takeaways: 1. Provinces and territories increasingly recognize municipalities as accountable, democratic governments in law. 2. Municipal grants of authority are increasingly expansive and permissive, significantly broadening the scope of municipal action and discretion. 3. The courts have increasingly demonstrated a generous interpretation of municipalities’ permissive authority. 4. The governance landscape is becoming increasingly complex, the costs and benefits of which are unclear. 5. The trend toward municipal empowerment co-exists with provincial intervention. 6. Fiscal innovation has lagged legal innovation, increasing the risk of insufficient resources and unfunded mandates. Logos for IMFG, University of Toronto, School of Cities
This broadening of local legislative scope and discretion has far-reaching implications, potentially enabling municipalities to enter new policy fields while unlocking local policy innovation. - Zack Taylor, Craig Mutter, Joseph Lyons, and Alec Dobson Power and Purpose: The Quiet Evolution of Canadian Municipal Law Logos of IMFG, School of Cities, and University of Toronto
Local governments have more authority and the capacity to exercise it than ever before, yet unilateral provincial government intervention in municipal affairs continues. - Zack Taylor, Craig Mutter, Joseph Lyons, and Alec Dobson Power and Purpose: The Quiet Evolution of Canadian Municipal Law Logos of IMFG, School of Cities, and University of Toronto
The question of whether the configuration of the provincial- and territorial-municipal relationship reflects contemporary values and meets current needs is perennial. Zack Taylor, Craig Mutter, Joseph Lyons, and Alec Dobson Power and Purpose: The Quiet Evolution of Canadian Municipal Law Logos of IMFG, School of Cities, and University of Toronto
With these changes [in municipal law], Canadian municipalities became defined in law as accountable, democratic governments with broad, flexible powers and greater discretion to exercise them. Zack Taylor, Craig Mutter, Joseph Lyons, and Alec Dobson Power and Purpose: The Quiet Evolution of Canadian Municipal Law Logos of IMFG, School of Cities, and University of Toronto
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
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
Man standing beside stage with two chairs and a screen with an image of Toronto's City Hall.
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
The Governance of Homeless Encampments in Canada The proliferation of homeless encampments in cities across Canada represents both a housing and a governance emergency, resulting in a human rights crisis. This paper describes the legislative context of municipal encampment governance in Canada and examines various court decisions related to encampments. The authors discuss traditional municipal responses to the crisis (including encampment removal), identify barriers to improving encampment strategies, and highlight how rights-based responses can produce outcomes that are more dignified and efficient than the status quo. By Alexandra Flynn and Estair Van Wagner Read the full report: Bit.ly Opportunities for reform: Implement a human rights framework to proactively align municipal policies and practices with human rights norms. Institutionalize human rights within local governance via independent oversight bodies or human rights impact assessments of proposed encampment responses. Pursue new intergovernmental partnerships that clarify roles, establish long-term funding, and enable coordinated planning. Shift public funds toward more effective and cost-efficient responses, such as supportive housing models. Reframe homelessness as a systemic failing rather than an individual choice to foster the political support needed to pursue long-term solutions. Partner with Indigenous governments, organizations, and service providers to develop culturally appropriate housing and shelter options. Logos: IMFG, University of Toronto, School of Cities
… by aligning municipal enforcement policies with provincial commitments to housing and health care, governments can create pathways out of encampments rather than simply displacing encampment residents. Alexandra Flynn and Estair Van Wagner The Governance of Homeless Encampments in Canada Logos for IMFG, University of Toronto, School of Cities
In practice, many punitive encampment strategies are more expensive than rights-based alternatives due to the cost of repeated encampment evictions, legal challenges, and emergency responses. Alexandra Flynn and Estair Van Wagner The Governance of Homeless Encampments in Canada Logos for IMFG, University of Toronto, School of Cities
Courts have affirmed that shelter beds must be accessible, appropriate, and voluntary to meet constitutional standards. Alexandra Flynn and Estair Van Wagner The Governance of Homeless Encampments in Canada Logos for IMFG, University of Toronto, School of Cities
…[recent] cases have affirmed that, in the absence of accessible shelter or housing, enforcement of anti-camping bylaws can violate section 7 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which guarantees the right to life, liberty, and security of the person. Alexandra Flynn and Estair Van Wagner The Governance of Homeless Encampments in Canada Logos for IMFG, University of Toronto, School of Cities
Most municipalities remain caught in a reactive cycle – torn between political pressures to clear public spaces and recognition that punitive approaches are expensive and potentially unlawful, and do not solve the problem of homelessness. Alexandra Flynn and Estair Van Wagner The Governance of Homeless Encampments in Canada Logos for IMFG, University of Toronto, School of Cities
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
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
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
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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
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
... 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
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
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
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
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
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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
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
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
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
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
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
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Text from introduction slide. Logos of IMFG, University of Toronto, School of Cities Effect of Land Transfer Taxes on Real Estate Markets: Evidence from Toronto Speaker: Peter Wu, 2024-25 Graduate Fellow in Municipal Finance and Governance Moderator: Enid Slack, Director, Institute on Municipal Finance and Governance June 10, 2025 @imfgtorotno #IMFGtalks
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Who Does What Series Image of a crouched young man with arms crossed The Municipal Role in Mental Health Contributors: R. Marcus Hammond, Barb Fornssler, Elaine Hyshka, Kwame McKenzie, Rishika Wadehra, Sophie Baker, Jesse Rosenberg Editors: Gabriel Eidelman, Sonali Chakraborti, Dina Graser, Enid Slack Logos: IMFG, Urban Policy Lab, U of T, School of Cities
View of semi-detached houses on Toronto street on a sunny day.
Opening slide for Eco-fiscal Tools and Municipal Finance: New Practices and Opportunities Picture of farmland with hills in the background on left side of image Prof. Jean-Philippe Meloche, Visiting Scholar (winter 2025) School of Urban Planning and Landscape Architecture Universite de Montreal Prof. Fanny Tremblay-Racicot Graduate school of public administration Ecole nationale d'administration publique IMFG Toronto May 22nd 2025 Logos for Univeristy of Toronto and IMFG
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IMFG Director Enid Slack as part of a panel.
IMFG is looking for a new Manager, Programs and Research Deadline: March 26, 2025 Apply now! Logos: IMFG, University of Toronto, School of Cities