Saturday, May 27
2:15–3:15 p.m.
The status quo isn’t working anymore. As Canada emerges from the pandemic, our municipalities are facing a perfect storm: inflation, shifting demographics, aging infrastructure, climate crisis, and housing challenges. Who pays for it all, through what means, and how do we keep municipal budgets balanced? Our expert panel will discuss the details of a new fiscal framework that can create the right conditions for municipalities of all sizes — from rural, to northern, to big cities- to thrive in the coming decades – so we can build a better life for all Canadians.
Speakers:
Enid Slack, Director of the Institute on Municipal Finance and Governance
Dr. Enid Slack is the Director of the Institute on Municipal Finance and Governance (IMFG) at the Munk School of Global Affairs at the University of Toronto. Enid has been working on municipal finance issues in Canada and abroad for 35 years. Prior to establishing the IMFG, she was a consultant specializing in municipal finance. Enid has worked with the World Bank, the IMF, CIDA, UN Habitat, ADB, and IADB. Enid received her B.A. in Economics from York University (Glendon College), and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Toronto. In 2012, Enid was awarded the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal for her work on cities.
Andrew Boozary, Executive Director of the Gattuso Centre for Social Medicine at the University Health Network
Dr. Andrew Boozary is a primary care physician and the Executive Director of Population Health and Social Medicine at the University Health Network (UHN). He works to improve health outcomes for disadvantaged populations and oversees UHN's Social Medicine Program. Dr. Boozary is also co-lead of the Ontario Health Toronto Region COVID-19 Homelessness Response and a member of the Canadian Medical Association's Post-Pandemic Expert Advisory Group.
Dr. Boozary is an assistant professor at the University of Toronto and adjunct faculty member at Columbia University. He earned his medical training at the University of Toronto and health policy training at Princeton and Harvard. Dr. Boozary is also a Visiting Scientist at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and a Senior Fellow at the Wellesley Institute.
Lisa Raitt, Co-Chair, Coalition for a Better Future
Lisa Raitt is the vice-chair of global investment banking at CIBC and former politician who currently serves as Co-Chair of the Coalition for a Better Future, a non-partisan organization dedicated to finding practical solutions to public policy challenges facing Canada.
Raitt has a long history of public service, having served as a Member of Parliament for the Conservative Party of Canada from 2008 to 2019. During her time in politics, she held a number of high-profile positions, including Minister of Natural Resources, Minister of Labour, and Minister of Transport. Prior to her political career, Raitt worked as a lawyer and held senior executive positions in the Canadian Transportation Agency and the Toronto Port Authority.
Raitt is a graduate of St. Francis Xavier University and Osgoode Hall Law School at York University. She was named one of Canada's Top 100 Most Powerful Women by the Women's Executive Network.
Maxime Pedneaud-Jobin, Chair of the Ville de Montréal's External Advisory Committee on Fiscal Policy, Former Mayor of the Ville de Gatineau
A contributor to La Presse since August 2022, Maxime Pedneaud-Jobin was mayor of Gatineau from 2013 to 2021. Under his leadership, Gatineau implemented several policies, agreements and innovative strategies that define the new role of cities: social economy policy, homelessness reference framework, climate change plan, equality policy, ambitious waste management program, revision of urban planning bylaws, round table on community life, etc. As mayor, he faced an impressive number of climate-related crises: floods in 2017, tornado in 2018, floods in 2019 and three of the five worst rainstorms in the last 100 years in Gatineau.
He holds a master's degree in regional development from the Université du Québec en Outaouais. Before entering politics, he worked for five years as assistant to the CEO of the Agence de la santé et des services sociaux de l'Outaouais. In 2020, he published Passer de la ville à la cité, faire place à la participation citoyenne, l'expérience de Gatineau, at Éditions David. In 2019, he won the Régis-Laurin Prize for his significant contribution to the cause of social and community housing, as well as the Jean-Paul-L'Allier 2022 Award from the Ordre des urbanistes du Québec for his vision, leadership and accomplishments in urban and land use planning.