Authors:Joshua Medicoff, Daniel Béland Pages: 1 - 22 Abstract: Recognizing that biodiversity loss and climate change are twin crises, urban regions across the world are seeking to implement biodiversity strategies through specific forms of urban governance embedded in existing institutional legacies. To understand the effects of metropolitan institutions on the governance of urban biodiversity, we examine the institutional and regional structures of Canada’s two most populous metropolitan regions, Greater Montreal and Greater Toronto. This article compares the distinct policy consequences of the institutional set-up of Greater Montreal and Greater Toronto. This includes understanding how a second tier of government in Montreal (the Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal), which sets biodiversity protection and conservation targets in the Montreal region, contrasts with the Toronto region, whose larger region is more directly governed by the Province of Ontario. Drawing on both the work of Elinor Ostrom on metropolitan governance and interviews with urban actors in both urban areas under consideration, we show how fragmented institutional arrangements are dominated by provincial management (as the case is for the Toronto region), and lead to worse outcomes for biodiversity. PubDate: 2024-06-21 DOI: 10.24908/cpp-apc.v2024i2.16822 Issue No:Vol. 2024, No. 2 (2024)
Authors:Martin Mateus, Sean Markey, Laura Ryser, Greg Halseth, Lars Hallstrom Pages: 23 - 42 Abstract: Since the 1980s, Canadian municipalities have experienced pressures due to legislative/policy reforms and the downloading of responsibilities from senior governments. This shift has affected daily operations as municipalities struggle with outdated financial and jurisdictional structures. Such pressures have been exacerbated in Alberta by provincial and federal ‘coal phase-out’ policies, as the coal industry has historically been a primary source of revenue for some communities. In response, municipalities have engaged in processes to generate revenue, maintain service levels, and diversify their economies. This research, in Parkland County and Forestburg, Alberta, explores impacts and responses associated with top-down policy change. Results indicate that senior government supports were inadequate in the delivery of effective transition supports, which created challenges for local governments grappling with transition impacts. Municipalities have developed innovative and entrepreneurial solutions in transition, but the research outlines lessons and policy recommendations to better integrate municipalities into future transition policy and programs. PubDate: 2024-08-07 DOI: 10.24908/cpp-apc.v2024i2.17887 Issue No:Vol. 2024, No. 2 (2024)
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