The Urban Policy Lab is hosting multiple interactive panels and small-group workshops to help MPP students gain specialized skills and knowledge relevant for a career in urban policy in multiple sectors and levels of government.

Sessions tailored for first-year students will highlight career opportunities in urban policy as well as foundational knowledge. For second-year students, workshops will focus on specialized topics, delivered by urban policy practitioners working at all levels of government, many of whom are MPP alumni (noted in parentheses).

** All sessions are restricted to Master of Public Policy students at the Munk School.**

MPP1 sessions are restricted to first-year students; MPP2 sessions to second-year students. Please register for the session in the appropriate track.

If your preferred session is "sold out", and you'd like to be put on a waitlist, please fill out the following form. If you have any questions, please email UPL graduate fellow Jolene Funk (jolene.funk@mail.utoronto.ca).

SESSIONS FOR MPP1 STUDENTS:

12:00pm-1:30pm: Urban Policy Career Paths (max 40 students, lunch provided)

Location: Canadiana Gallery, Room 160

Facilitators:

• Amanda Buchnea, Program and Policy Coordinator, A Way Home (MPP '17)
• Emma Loewen, Sustainability & Innovation Analyst, Waterfront Toronto (MPP '17)
• Caitlin Cassie, Senior Program Advisor, Strategy and Results Management Office, OPS (MPP '11)
• Rajesh Sankat, Toronto Urban Fellow & Policy Associate, Connected Community/Smart City, City of Toronto (MPP '17)

This session will expose Y1 students to the many career paths available in urban policy. Students will rotate between multiple tables, each representing different sectors (municipal, OPS, not-for-profit, and private sector). Each table will have an alumni leader who will facilitate discussion and help illuminate: 1) the types of policy policy issues students might encounter in this sector 2) projects/programs/solutions they might work on 3) how to find/land a job 4) the skills required to succeed.

1:45pm-3:15pm: Public Consultation Skills (max 40 students)

Location: Canadiana Gallery, Room 160

Facilitator: Laurie Drake, Director of Research, Mass LBP

Public consultation is an important skill in all kinds of policy work, but even more so at the local level. In this hands-on workshop, students will learn the value of presenting interest group representatives and members of the public with a clear task, how to ask good questions that elicit productive discussion, and how to facilitate discussions that produce insights and advice that are useful to policymakers. The session will be delivered by Mass LBP, which has supported many governments and policy organizations in delivering effective public consultation.

3:30pm-5:00pm: Urban Planning for Policy Students (max 40 students)

Location: Canadiana Gallery, Room 160

Facilitator: Carolyn Kim, Director of City Building, Pembina Institute (MPP ’14)

Urban planning practices underpin many of today’s most pressing policy issues, such as housing, transit, equity and inclusion, and health. This session, led by MPP alumnus Carolyn Kim (’14), a registered professional planner and Director of City Building at the Pembina Institute, will provide students with an overview of the legislative and policy basis under which urban planning decisions are made. Topics covered include: What is urban planning? How does urban planning intersect with public policy and administration? How do policy practitioners work with planners to advance city-building initiatives and solutions that make cities more sustainable, liveable and prosperous?

SESSIONS FOR MPP2 STUDENTS:

12:00-1:30: Urban Policy and City Politics (max 40 students, lunch provided)

Location: 1 Devonshire Pl., Room 208N

Facilitators: Rishab Mehen, Chief of Staff to Councillor Brad Bradford, City of Toronto

Municipal politics can be mystifying even for close City Hall watchers. In this session, students will get an inside look at how city politics works in Toronto, including how policy moves through the political process, from a current Chief of Staff to a Toronto City Councillor.

1:45pm-3:15pm : Federal Perspectives on Urban Policy (max 40 students)

Location: 1 Devonshire Pl., Room 208N

Facilitator: Dimitri Treheles, Junior Policy Analyst, Infrastructure Canada (MPP '19)

Urban policy decisions are made at all levels of government. In this interactive videoconference session, organized and moderated by MPP alumni working in Ottawa, policy leaders and practitioners at Infrastructure Canada will reflect on the urban policy challenges the federal government is grappling with, advise students on federal job opportunities that focus on cities, and the skills necessary to take advantage of these opportunities.

** The following sessions are offered concurrently. MPP2 students may only attend one of the two sessions below. **

3:30pm-5pm: Developing Strategic Foresight (max 20 students)

Location: 1 Devonshire pl., Room 023A

Facilitator: Ayana Webb, Program Manager of Action Labs, Evergreen

Climate change, global migration, and the rise of digital governance will impact how governments plan and adapt infrastructure in cities. In this workshop, participants will practice anticipating future impacts on urban policy by building micro-scenarios. Participants will map the uncertainties that affect infrastructure decisions at different levels of government to answer the question: How do we meaningfully shift the focus of current policy making to build the infrastructure we need for tomorrow?

3:30pm-5pm: Making Sense of Municipal Budgets (max 20 students)

Location: 1 Devonshire Pl., Room 208N

Facilitator: Lauren Birch, Financial Planning Analyst, City of Toronto (MPP ‘17)

Using case studies and interactive activities, this session will demystify the municipal budgeting process. Topics and practical skills covered include: how to read financial reports; how financial analysis differs from policy analysis; how budget approvals at the municipal level differ from provincial/federal governments; and how to report budget variances.