For this year’s conference, the conversations leading up to it are just as important as what takes place on June 17.

We want you to jump right into the debate as we discuss the issues that matter to the City of Toronto. So, comment on our blog as we post new ideas each week. We want you to read and respond – tell us what you think!

Latest blog posts:

• City for Tomorrow
  In his keynote speech at the Maytree Leadership Conference on June 17, 2010, Alan Broadbent encouraged participants to voice their vision for the future of the city. It is up to them, he said, to tell the candidates in the upcoming municipal election what changes they want to see. In fact, candidates will look at [...] [Read the full post and comment]
• Traditional conferences are dead. Long live the conversation!
  Has the traditional conference format been rendered obsolete? I believe so. The tweeting, buzzing, texting, bbm-ing, blogging and general techno-chatter going on in the world keeps us in perpetual contact with each other. (I know I’m not the only one who checks my BlackBerry before I brush my teeth in the morning.) A single meeting [...] [Read the full post and comment]
• Calling for new ways to elect city council
  Fixing how we elect our city council was the concern of hundreds who turned out on June 1 at Hart House to hear mayoral candidates tell Toronto where they stand on reforms identified by Better Ballots. This multi-partisan organization (with 15 collaborative partners including the Maytree Foundation, Canadian Urban Institute, Toronto City Summit Alliance and Toronto [...] [Read the full post and comment]
• Paying the Bills in the City of Toronto
  Cities have many responsibilities and expenditures, but do they have matching revenue streams? What challenges does the City of Toronto face to pay for services? What other revenue tools are available? How do other cities finance services? Issues of finance are always important to cities. Every year at budget time, we hear [...] [Read the full post and comment]
• The Anatomy of a Street
  What does a good street look like? A street that is both pedestrian and transit-friendly and serves the driving public? In his May 12 webinar, From Feet to Wheels and Back: The Anatomy of a Street, Ken Greenberg, architect and urban designer, takes us on a extended journey along Bathurst Street in Toronto travelling from Front Street, past Honest Eds at Bloor and further north into North York up to Steeles Avenue and Thornhill. [Read the full post and comment]