A preparatory meeting of Urban Economy Forum 2020

Virtual Roundtable with the Canadian Finance Minister, the Honourable Bill Morneau

Analysing IMPACTS OF COVID-19 ON CANADIAN URBAN ECONOMY

Analysing challenges and discovering actions and priorities

“Local governments of cities and regions are closest to communities. Their resilience is our strength and source of inspiration. We need to build on this special relationship, and I believe that together we can discover the solutions we need,” UN-Habitat’s Executive Director.”

Introduction

Currently, Covid-19 is one of the main scourges in World; trending throughout global media. It is one of the main challenges for all levels of government, humanity and society in general. Covid-19 has had a huge impact on national economies and the global economy. Many experts are actively involved in analysing impacts and potential future consequences.

In the process of realizing the Agenda 2030 and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), extraordinary challenges such as Covid-19 must also be analysed and understood in the context of urbanism and urban economy. It is also necessary to understand Covid-19’s impacts on the world as a whole. The determination to succeed in the fight against the pandemic, countries around the world have responded differently. Scholars and non-governmental organizations also have a decision to make on how they will approach this global challenge impacting us all. They can have a passive role and observe the situation, or they can have an active role and try to find a solution. This group is relatively in a better position to address the situation as they are independent of decision makers, do not have to go through bureaucratic processes and can act through a more critical and creative lens. Scholars and professional organizations can work collaboratively, analyse the situation, and provide suggestions to governments. They can come together and create a movement to support governments and people.

It is heartening to note that the Government of Canada is taking immediate, significant, and decisive action to help the Canadian people and businesses facing hardship as a result of the Covid-19 outbreak. Volunteer initiatives throughout Canada, such as Caremongers who are tiredly working and are pooling time and resources to deliver supplies to those shut in by Covid-19 have also been inspiring. The Canadian government is also providing foreign aid to help combat the spread of Covid-19 abroad, particularly in refugee camps and developing countries, in addition to supporting the UN.

The response to the outbreak is rolling out differently across the country, as appropriate for local circumstances. The health services are strained, and health sector personnel are meeting the challenge tirelessly. We are witnessing that Canada, as in many other countries, millions of people are ordered to stay at home. We must recognize that at this juncture, local governments are rising to the challenge by ensuring that public service delivery, and health services in particular, are functional and resilient.

The immediate reality that we are facing is changing the way Local Authorities around the world are understanding governance. As the first responders to the crisis, Local Authorities are communicating their response with their citizens and seeking their participation, to not only avoid coercion but better understand their situation: a new process of democratization is taking place. However, there are also examples of helplessness and perceived draconian measures in the face of the scourge.

To reduce the Covid-19’s impact now and in the near future, Canadian governmental leaders from all levels and the Leaders of International efforts, such as UN-Habitat, should come together to discuss problems, identify priorities, and important actions that should be taken. Making good use of the policy space and institutions, Canada has done things the right way so far, starting with the provision of basic needs such as food and water to putting in place large monetary and fiscal expansions to cushion the impact of the crisis.

However, due to the pandemic and its ramifications, society will change, in hitherto unknown ways and hence it is important to be prepared for the changes that will take place in governance, healthcare, the economy, our lifestyles and more.

This crisis, as the cliché goes, can also present opportunities. By way of strengthening the government’s efforts in meeting the crisis, this concept paper proposes 7 goals and processes to achieve them in order to ensure that governments at all levels, the economy, and the Canadian people can emerge stronger from the state where we are now.

Fundamental Questions:

1. What is Covid-19’s impact on economy?

2. What is Covid-19’s impact on the economies of the cities and towns (i.e. urban economy)?

3. What is Covid-19’s impact on employment?

4. What are the main actions that city leaders are able to do based on their rules and regulations to reduce the harmful impact on urban economy?

5. What is the main part of the urban sector that is affected by Covid-19?

6. What are the main challenges mayors face from Covid-19? What are the solutions?

7. How can the general society help to reduce the impacts of Covid-19? Local authorities?

8. What is the private sector doing to reduce the impact of Covid-19on urban economy?

9. What is the Government of Canada’s strategy to control Covid-19’s impact on urban economy?

10. What is the impact of news and media on Covid-19 and society?

11. What are the immediate and long-term measures city leaders should take to reduce Covid-19 impacts?

12. How can we manage the indirect effects of Covid-19 on urban management? What is the process to do this?

Goals

1. Create a platform to discuss and learn from each other and to collect the ideas and strategies from city leaders throughout Canada. Through this we can provide a document to analyse the situation.

2. Create an interaction between city leaders, mayors and government and provide data and repot to help city leaders make evidence-based decisions.

3. Provide a recurring report on the impact of Covid-19 based on the impacts felt by local authorities for the Federal government.

4. Create a hub, based on these challenges nationally, to work together and involve more people. This platform is for cities to inform and learn from each other. This will identify successful strategies to help control the situation.

5. Municipalities have roles and strategies for Covid-19, however, there could be gaps. Analysing Municipalities’ roles and strategies will help identify potential areas of improvement to share with other governments.

6. Provide specific recommendations for Prime Minster of Canada for his Covid-19 strategy for cities.

Speakers

- Honourable Bill Morneau, Minister of Finance of Government of Canada

- Eduardo Moreno, Head of Innovation and Knowledge Branch of UN-Habitat

- Adam Vaughan, Member of Canadian Parliament & Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development (Housing)

- Anantha Krishnan, Senior Consultant for World Bank & Co-Chair of UEF 2020 Steering Committee

- Barry Morishita, President of Alberta Urban Municipalities Association

- Benjamin (Benny) Tal, Deputy Chief Economist of CIBC

- Berry Vrbanovic, Mayor of City of Kitchener & Member of Big City Mayor’s Caucus of Federation of Canadian Municipalities

- Bonnie Crombie, Mayor of City of Mississauga

- Brian Rosborough, Executive Director of Association of Municipalities of Ontario

- Brian Saunderson, Mayor of Town of Collingwood

- Diego Creimer, Head of Public Affairs of the David Suzuki Foundation

- Douglas Ragan, Programme Management Officer, Human Rights and Social Inclusion of UN-Habitat

- Eleanor Mohammed, President of Canadian Institute of Planners

- Frank D'hondt, Secretary General of ISOCARP

- Gordon Barnhart , President of Municipalities of Saskatchewan

- James Pasternak, Councillor of City of Toronto

- Jeffrey Russell, President of Accenture Canada

- Jennie Moore, Director of Institute Sustainability, British Columbia Institute of Technology

- Jose Etcheverry, York University Board of Governors

- Julie Ward, Former Member of European Parliament & UEF 2020 Co-Chair Steering Committee

- Laura Dudas, Deputy Mayor of City of Ottawa

- Lisa Helps, Mayor of City of Victoria

- Maja Tait, President of Union of British Columbia Municipalities

- Marco Kamiya, Senior Economist of Innovation and Knowledge Branch of UN-Habitat

- Martina Otto, Head of Cities of United Nations Environmental Programme

- Massoud Ghandchi, President of Ghandchi Foundation

- Matti Siemiatycki, Interim Director of School of Cities, University of Toronto

- Maurizio Bevilacqua, Mayor of City of Vaughan

- Michel Tremblay, Senior Vice-President, Policy and Innovation of Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation

- Mike O’Brien, Mayor of City of Fredericton

- Mike Savage, Mayor of City of Halifax

- Mitchell Cohen, President of The Daniels Corporation

- Naheed Nenshi, Mayor of City of Calgary

- Ralph Groening, President of Association of Manitoba Municipalities

- Ray Orb, President of Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities

- Rebecca Alty, Mayor of City of Yellowknife

- Régis Labeaume, Mayor of Québec City

- Reza Pourvaziry, Chair of Urban Economy Forum

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