Maytree Opinion Archive

Maytree Opinion is a series of monthly editorials which share Maytree’s thoughts on contemporary social policy issues.

Maytree Wishes for the New Year – December 2009

By Alan Broadbent, Chairman, Maytree and Ratna Omidvar, President, Maytree
While year-ends are a time to sum up, they are also a time to look forward to what we want to achieve next year. We have a few special wishes for Canadians, which are in Maytree’s tradition of acting on solutions that have the power to lead us to a more just, inclusive and prosperous society. So rather than focus on what has been a hard year for many Canadians, we want to make a “wish list” that we will not only hope for, but work towards.

Substance over Style required in the next mayoral election – November 2009

By Alan Broadbent, Chairman, Maytree
When Toronto Mayor David Miller announced he would not seek a third term, speculation started about who might run in the next election. Much has been written about the personalities of possible candidates and very little, up to this point, has been said about what platform the next mayor should run on. This is a mistake, Maytree Chairman Alan Broadbent argues in this month’s Maytree Opinion. In our evaluation of candidates we need to focus on issues, particularly on city building issues such as housing, transportation and immigrant settlement.

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Cities March to Their Own Tune – October 2009

By Ratna Omidvar, President, Maytree
The globalization of migration means our cities are becoming more diverse. Read this month’s Maytree Opinion by Ratna Omidvar to find out how successful cities of migration are engaging a wide variety of actors to promote integration.

The Power of Stories – September 2009

By Alan Broadbent, Chairman, Maytree
Telling a story is probably the most common form of human communication. Unfortunately, many of us aren’t always as effective at story telling in our organizations. Read this month’s Maytree Opinion by Alan Broadbent as he writes how stories have the ability to transcend data and give us the power to connect people to social change.

Alan Broadbent talks about the power of storytelling (based on this month’s Maytree Opinion)

Download ”The Power of Stories” as a PDF.

Bad Language in High Office – August 2009

By Alan Broadbent, Chairman, Maytree
What are we to make when a federal minister tells Toronto to “F_ Off”? Does this choice of bad language really matter? In this month’s Opinion, Alan Broadbent discusses why no one is served by this use of dismissive language and calls for a more civil debate from all quarters.

Now is the Time – July 2009

By Alan Broadbent, Chairman, Maytree
In this month’s Opinion, Maytree Chairman Alan Broadbent writes that now is the time to welcome more immigrants to Canada and to remove barriers to their participation in the labour market. While a number of people have suggested we reduce or even suspend immigration so as not to create even greater pressure on jobs during this Great Recession, Alan argues that this would be exactly the wrong thing to do. Now is the right time to let immigrants know that we want them and that we want to help them succeed.

Giving non-citizens the right to vote in municipal elections – June 2009

By Alan Broadbent, Chairman, Maytree
In this month’s Opinion, Maytree Chairman Alan Broadbent argues that permanent residents of Canada should be allowed to vote in municipal elections. “Inviting permanent resident non-citizens to vote in municipal elections will be a useful tool for attracting immigrants to participate in the great work of building Canada for the 21st century.” Alan makes three further points to underline his argument. First, this idea has worked in other countries around the world without any problems. Second, who is allowed to vote in Canada has changed throughout our history. And third, the municipal vote for landed immigrants can provide a vital tool in their successful integration.

Caring but not Cared for – May 2009

By Ratna Omidvar, President, Maytree
“It is now time that the federal government take steps to protect live-in caregivers from exploitation,” writes Maytree President Ratna Omidvar in this month’s Opinion. Caregivers care for many young children and senior citizens. But they too need to be cared for so that they are not forced to stay within an employment contract which exploits their vulnerability.

Politics or Policy? – April 2009

By Alan Broadbent, Chairman, Maytree
“The federal government has been making changes to Canada’s immigration system, and engaging in heated exchanges with ethnic and cultural groups in Canada. It raises the question as to whether we are seeing a significant shift in policy or energetic politics,” states Maytree Chairman Alan Broadbent in this month’s Opinion. In this piece he argues that if the government is creating a major policy shift, then it is important to allow for a broad debate so all Canadians have a chance to register their views.

Tough Choices for Migrant Workers – March 2009

By Ratna Omidvar, President, Maytree
“People look to Canada for good ideas and good lessons. How ironic then, that today Canada seems to be borrowing from failed lessons of the European ‘guest worker’ programs,” states Maytree President Ratna Omidvar in this month’s Opinion. In this piece she argues that we need to ensure that our labour market needs are met in a way that is responsive to both the employer and the worker.

Social Outcomes of Land Use Planning – February 2009

By Alan Broadbent, Chairman, Maytree
“The predominant pattern of development for more than half a century has been urban sprawl, the continuous production of low density housing on closed-loop streets at the ever-expanding edge of urban region,” states Maytree Chair Alan Broadbent in this month’s Opinion. In this piece he argues for the importance of land use planning and its impact on the quality of people’s lives in our cities and their neighbourhoods.

The Funder’s Obligation – January 2009

By Alan Broadbent, Chairman, Maytree
“The preservation of communities is more vital than the preservation of capital,” states Maytree Chairman Alan Broadbent in this month’s Opinion. In this piece he analyzes the role and behaviours of endowments in slow economic cycles and advocates for a community-focused rather than a donor-focused perspective. Read this month’s Opinion to learn more.

Leadership Envy – December 2008

By Ratna Omidvar, President, Maytree
Maytree and the Toronto City Summit Alliance have launched a three-year initiative to diversify the Toronto region’s leadership landscape.  Eight distinct and measurable initiatives will be carried out and their impact tracked over the life of the project.  In this Opinion Ratna Omidvar discusses how proactive strategies like this one are required to accelerate the process of bringing our leadership in line with our demographic realities — and how this will lead to prosperity.  Only in this environment will Canada’s Barack Obama emerge.

The Poverty Agenda – November 2008

By Alan Broadbent, Chairman, Maytree
The Ontario government poverty reduction process is a year old, headed by Deb Matthews, minister for child and youth services and chair of a cabinet committee on poverty reduction that includes all of the heavyweight ministers in the McGuinty government. Over the course of the last year, Matthews and her colleagues have heard a wide range of voices and interests. They are due to report by the end of the year.  In this opinion, Alan Broadbent presents what he thinks should be the components of this poverty strategy.

“Uploading” for Ontario’s Cities- November 2008

By Alan Broadbent, Chairman, Maytree
On October 31 2008, Minister Jim Watson announced that Ontario would upload welfare and court security costs over a ten-year period. In this opinion, Alan Broadbent describes why he thinks this was the right thing to do for Ontario’s cities.