Cities are amazing places, bringing together all sorts of different people. Different ideas and customs often mix and multiply, providing new and exciting opportunities for work and play. And this intellectual and cultural fermentation does require a certain density of population. But is denser always better?
Municipal Government
The Mad Drive to Subvert Democracy in Toronto
Let me stipulate that I think Toronto’s Rob Ford is a terrible mayor. In fact, while I might not go so far as Richard Florida, who labeled Ford “the worst mayor in the modern history of cities, an avatar for all that is small-bore and destructive of the urban fabric, and the most anti-urban mayor ever to preside over a big city,” I’m willing to say he’s probably in the running for the title.
How the Rob Ford Crack Scandal Could Save Toronto: Rob Ford’s political meltdown could lead to the reversal of one of the most disastrous policy decisions in Canadian history: the amalgamation of Toronto.
Rob Ford may be the best thing to happen to Toronto in a long time. Alleged crack-smoking and ass-grabbing aside, the political meltdown of the embattled mayor of Canada’s largest city may inadvertently help undo one of the most disastrous public policy decisions in Canadian history: the amalgamation of Toronto by former premier Mike Harris.
Poverty and Growth: Retro-Urbanists Cling to the Myth of Suburban Decline: Suburbs have more poor people mainly because they have more people, write Joel Kotkin and Wendell Cox.
In the wake of the post-2008 housing bust, suburbia has become associated with many of the same ills long associated with cities, as our urban-based press corps and cultural elite cheerfully sneer at each new sign of decline, most recently a study released Monday by the Brookings Institution—which has become something of a Vatican for anti-suburban theology—trumpeting the news that there are now 1 million more poor people in America’s suburbs than in its cities.
Featured News
Promote Equity by Providing a Quality Education
Earlier this year, a group called Equity Matters asked the province to establish an education equity secretariat. They want this office to oversee equity officers working in Manitoba schools. Equity Matters wants to ensure that all Manitoba students are reflected in...
Why Frances Widdowson Matters
Frances Widdowson probably isn't someone most Canadians recognize. I'm here to tell you why they should. In terms of Canada's intellectual culture, Frances Widdowson matters because she is a classic and prolific academic. In a time when demagoguery easily flourishes,...
The Price is Right: The benefits of accurate pricing and smart technologies
As Canadian cities continue to grow, parking troubles will increase. Setting prices according to demand may be a sound technological solution.
Winnipeg Bounces Back – Deja Vu from 2000: The return of the NHL boosts a city’s morale but challenges remain
Winnipeg, the grande dame of Canada’s West, is thriving despite a persistently negative and frequently uninformed profile in the national media.
Not on the Frontier…
We answer a critical letter in the National Post.
Bylaw Officers Making Noise about New Radar for Noisy Vehicles
Have you heard about the Noise Snare, a new traffic noise surveillance product?
If you haven’t, perhaps it is because a motorcycle was zooming past you with an engine roaring at such a high decibel level that you missed the news. In any case, City of Calgary bylaw officers have recently proposed implementing a new technology to regulate vehicle noise that exceeds a yet-to-be-determined new decibel maximum.
The Noise Snare technology was invented by Mark Nesdoly, an electrical engineer in Edmonton. In a Calgary Herald story Nesdoly explains the inspiration for the
device saying, “I still remember the day, laying down my daughter to go to sleep and [a motorcyclist] went roaring past -and her eyes just popped open.”
The City received 1,310 vehicle complaints last year. Among these vehicle complaints there are some noise complaints, but they also include many other issues such as oil leaking on the street.
The majority of noise complaints are not vehicle-related. According to the City of Calgary bylaw services, 2500 other (non-vehicle) noise complaints were received in 2010. The Noise Snare is an expensive device that would crack down on only a fraction of complaints.
Will More Police Officers Solve Winnipeg’s Crime Issues?
Winnipeg Mayor Sam Katz is fulfilling his pledge to hire more police officers, but recent data shows more police may not necessarily be the answer to Winnipeg’s crime problems. FC069
Mayor Nenshi to Slay Taxi Cartel?
Calgary’s Mayor may be a true reformer.
Kelowna Budget Carryover Requests Approved
More than $94.2 million in operating and capital carryover expenditures will be added to the City of Kelowna 2011 budget.
Star Phoenix Editorial Board Nails It
The Saskatoon Star Phoenix Editorial board makes the case for proper fiscal accounting from the government of Saskatchewan.
Truth or Consequences: Your Call, Saint John
Sometimes when I want to get a snapshot of what the people are thinking, I go to the newspaper’s online site. At the top of the list, both in terms of most read and most commented, was “Pothole Pandemonium” (Feb. 18) with 33 comments mostly critical of the condition of our streets with literally hundreds of thumbs-up. However, one particular comment unrelated to the public’s growing disenchantment with the condition of our streets caught my attention.