The Future of Multilevel Governance

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The Future of Multilevel Governance

• Andrew Sancton
• asancton_at_uwo.ca
• September 25, 2009

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The extremes

• Municipalities not in Constitution, so they have
  no place in multilevel governance
• City governments are municipalities, so
  municipalities that have responsibility for
  cities are our most important governments

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The happy medium

• Cities might not be constitutionally recognized,
  but they merit a place at the table
• But there is a problem How do we define a city
  government?
• For central-city issues, this is not a problem
  the central-city municipality gets a place at the
  table

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Who represents Toronto for regional transit
issues?
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Regional transit as a multi-level issue Toronto

• Canada infrastructure funds industrial policy
  airport greenhouse gases
• Ontario infrastructure planning, Greenbelt,
  etc., transit funding
• But Who speaks for Toronto?
• City and region have different interests (City
  vs. MetroLinx)

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Regional transit in Montreal

• Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal has
  jurisdiction
• Statute provides that Mayor of Montreal is the
  political leader, but since CMM establishment
  has not done much
• If mayor of Montreal tried to exert authority,
  off-Island suburbs would object

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Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal
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Situation in US

• Obama Administration faces same issues must
  decide how to structure federal programs for
  cities
• through central cities
• through metropolitan structures
• through state governments

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Immigration settlement Ontario

• AMO and Toronto each have own agreements as part
  of tri-level governance system
• Tri-level committees established for each
  agreement
• Peel Region sits on Ontario committee, not the
  Toronto one
• Makes no sense!

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The general problem

• There is no dispute about the territory that
  makes up Canada or Ontario
• But Toronto as a territory is unclear and is
  often in dispute
• Means that Toronto is a problematic participant
  in tri-level governance

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The Limits of Boundaries Why City-regions
Cannot be Self-governing

• This is title of my 2008 book
• Whole point is that boundary issues are too often
  swept under the carpet
• But uncertainties about boundaries are inherent
  to any definition of urban government

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Implications

• Not meant in any way to minimize importance of
  existing urban municipalities, central-city or
  suburban
• Is meant to force us to focus on importance of
  boundaries to any discussion of multilevel
  governance