By: Mary Spear In response to the housing crisis in Ontario, the provincial government has passed a bill aimed at reducing barriers at the city-level to increase the supply of housing. Bill 3, Strong Mayors, Building Homes Act affords mayor’s of Ontario’s largest cities, Ottawa and Toronto respectively, a bevy of new powers. Such powers…
Category: governance
“Who would fall for that?”: The Alarming Truth Behind those Pesky Scam Phone Calls
by Kayla Daneal from Policy Innovation Initiative (Pii) “Another one of those annoying scams,” my mom says nonchalantly as she hangs up the phone. “Apparently they’re from the Canada Revenue Agency, and if I don’t send them the money that I supposedly owe, then I’ll go to jail,” she continues. “Who would fall for that?” Much…
The Senate of Canada, Explained
For the past six years, every new cohort of MPP students of the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy makes a three-day trip down to Ottawa in early fall. This year, a group of students inspired by their visit and troubled by the Canadian sentiment around the usefulness of the Canadian Senate, set out to capture its current role in the Canadian governance system. In collaboration with Senator Donna Dasko the students developed an infographic that presents the role of the Canadian Senate post changes implemented by the 42nd parliament.
By the Numbers: Question Period
BY Nick Thompson For those familiar with Canadian politics, Question Period is arguably the most important part of a given day in the House of Commons. One of the only times where all Members of Parliament (MPs) are present at once, it regularly produces the nightly news’ most played clips. What is often mentioned less,…
The Future of Service Delivery: Government in the Digital Age
By: Hiba Siddiqui We live in a society where individuals use powerful digital services on a regular basis for a variety of purposes. With the speed and sophistication of social networking services, enterprise systems and streaming services, it is imperative that public service delivery is also modernized and transformed to mirror the private sector’s fast…
The Throne Speech is not a Campaign Event
By Sacha Forstner On March 15th, Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne unexpectedly prorogued the legislature for four days. For those unfamiliar with parliamentary jargon, “prorogation” refers to the ending of a legislative session by the Crown (always on the advice of the Premier). Practically speaking, prorogation means that the Legislative Assembly is temporarily shut down and all…