Time for a new relationship: the cities of Canada speak

• Toronto is seeking a new relationship with Queen's Park and Ottawa through a City Charter. This would give the City of Toronto powers and responsibilities that match its stature as the largest Canadian city and economic centre of Canada. A Charter would spell out clearly the City's spheres of power with respect to local matters and give the City the ability to act independently within these spheres (e.g. private/public partnerships). Examples of these powers are found in cities across Canada from British Columbia to Newfoundland.



• A new legislative framework that would recognize that the City needs a new toolkit to ensure that its financial resources match its responsibilities is required. This toolkit would permit the city to broaden its revenue base by entering into proven financing vehicles such as sale and lease-back arrangements and asset-backed securities.



• The Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) are both calling for a new relationship with the other orders of government. Lack of recognition of the key economic role of cities and underfunding from the provincial and federal governments are the critical problems.



• FCM's Ten-Point Action Plan calls for development and implementation of an intergovernmental framework that embraces municipal governments as partners. It calls for recognition of the primary role of cities in improving the quality of life for all Canadians.



• AMO adopted resolutions at its 2000 Conference calling for "a new and improved relationship with the province in a new Municipal Act. that recognizes municipalities as an order of government".



• Other resolutions called for: funding of transition costs for land ambulance services; increased funding support given significant increased costs for water protection; protection from the risks of provincial devolving of social housing (e.g., needed repairs); and to seek 100 per cent funding for all transition and diversion costs of a revised Ontario Works Employment Funding model.

For more information about the City Charter proposal download the following files: