Articles

Food for Thought: Participatory Based Budgets
The first time I experienced a raclette dinner party, the host told me with delight, “everyone loves raclette because you choose what to eat and

Funding for Infrastructure & Other Community Benefits in British Columbia
Local governments in British Columbia face growing financial pressure as infrastructure demands increase, senior levels of government continue to download responsibilities on to them and

ICIP Across Canada: A Province-by-Province Snapshot
The Investing in Canada Plan (ICIP) is investing $180 billion over 12 years in four overarching areas: public transit, green infrastructure, social infrastructure and rural

Innovation in Asset Management: The Use of Artificial Intelligence for Condition Assessments
Utilities and local governments are responsible for the mounting task of managing and maintaining their physical infrastructure. Increasingly, they are turning to innovative technologies to

More Homes, More Choice Act: A Municipal Perspective
The Province of Ontario’s Bill 108, the More Homes, More Choice Act, received Royal Assent on June 6, 2019. The Bill was introduced at the beginning

Property Taxes: A Warning from the West
Local business owners in many municipalities across the country are feeling the sting of skyrocketing property taxes. This is perhaps nowhere more apparent than in

Solving a Global City Data Deficit with a Made-in-Canada Approach
Cities across Canada and worldwide are collecting vast amounts of local-level data to meet varying local, national and international challenges. Resilience, climate change and the

How the Town of Minto is Building a Sustainable Asset Management Program from the Ground Up
Like so many municipalities across Canada, the small Town of Minto, Ontario is faced with the challenge of a looming infrastructure deficit. As documented in

Beyond Cost Reduction: How Natural Asset Management is Helping the Town of Gibsons Prepare for Climate Change
When the Town of Gibsons first decided to implement a formalized natural asset management plan, it was primarily in an effort to mitigate the ubiquitous

Climate Change Creates Opportunities for Municipalities to Better Design their Communities
Gone are the days where municipalities can lean on the old saying, “this is the way we have always done it” as a reason to

How Moncton is Modifying its By-laws to Adapt to a Changing Climate
Climate change adaptation can seem like an insurmountable challenge for many municipalities. Strategies on how best to combat climate change impacts are often presented through

Key Characteristics and Benefits of an Effective Asset Management Framework
The federal government is the largest real property owner in the United States and spends billions of dollars annually to operate and maintain this portfolio,