What lessons can local government learn from Canada’s community-driven immigration programmes?
In recent years, Canada has developed an immigration policy seeing millions arrive, including in rural locations. This is the work of the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot (RNIP), a partnership and program between federal and local government incentivising more remote and isolated communities to accept migrants. This briefing outlines the role of Canadian municipalities in…
Planning for Social Infrastructure in Urban Renewal Areas
As urban areas consolidate and densify, one challenge is to ensure the availability of adequate social infrastructure to service the population and cater for health and wellbeing. This briefing looks at the challenges of delivering social infrastructure that both meets the needs of growing populations and changing community need.
Health and Social Care Committee’s response to the Health and Social Care White Paper
The Health and Social Care select committee’s response to the recent health white paper supports the direction of travel in the white paper, but the committee also identified areas needing further clarification and some ‘concerning omissions’, including the ongoing delay in setting out a plan for social care reform.
Special Educational Needs and Disabilities: Commons Education Committee
A look at the House of Commons Education Committee’s report Special educational needs and disabilities (October 2019). The report aims to influence the forthcoming spending review and to examine the effect of government policies on the implementation of the 2014 Act.
Illicit drug use and homelessness: how Canada and the UK are dealing with a growing crisis
In 2016, Canada declared a national opioid crisis due to the dramatic rise in drug-related deaths over the past decade. This briefing will investigate the intertwining nature of drug use and homelessness and compare the situation to that of the UK, before discussing whether the approaches taken in Canada could also be effective in the…
Governing Metropolitan Regions: Ideas and Lessons from Canada
This briefing looks at metropolitan governance in Canada, with a specific focus on the role of local government. While Canadian cities and municipalities appear better positioned in relation to their provincial (state) masters, some local governments face challenges to their role and status that are similar to those in Australia.
Municipal responses to the Covid-19 pandemic in Canada
Dr Aaron Moore, associate professor at the Department of Political Science, University of Winnipeg, gives us an account of Canada’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Local and regional governments played a decisive role in many areas, with innovation and community initiatives spearheaded by municipal authorities. The course of the crisis has also highlighted some serious…
How Toronto’s Newcomer Office is helping resettle refugees
Vera Dodic, manager of Toronto’s Newcomer Office, explains how their coordinating role between the City of Toronto and public and private partners is making the transition to a new life in Canada’s largest city easier for people who’ve had their whole lives turned upside down.
Ça Va Bien Aller: Montreal’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic
Despite Montreal suffering a significant death-toll from Covid-19, there has been a general consensus that the city has done a good job, though challenges remain. This paper analyses Montreal’s response to the pandemic to date.
How can nature-based infrastructure provide solutions to flooding? A global look at adoption
In the coming decades, the impact of coastal, fluvial and pluvial flooding will significantly increase across many parts of the world, making effective flood risk management crucial. Nature-based flood measures are receiving increasing attention for their ability to not only provide the same protection as grey infrastructure but co-benefits including ecosystem conservation.
