Reliable access to the internet is an essential service in any community. But there are barriers to bridging the "digital divide," especially in northern and Indigenous communities. Beyond the technical challenges, every community must choose what sort of broadband service model will serve people the best.

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The Future Fix: Connecting your community to broadband

In the aftermath of the Trinity Bellwoods Park encampment evictions, which saw a massive police presence, private security, and protests, we reached Sanctuary Toronto outreach worker Lorraine Lam, who was there with encampment residents, for an eyewitness account of what went on. And we speak to Humber Professor and Indigenous writer Kerry Potts about her piece in Coach House Books' new essay collection, Indigenous Toronto: stories that carry this place.

Episode 057: Trinity Bellwoods encampment evictions

This episode is all about plans: big and small, successful and dashed. First, Toronto Star city hall reporter Jennifer Pagliaro takes us through the story of Rail Deck Park from its ambitious announcement to the recent Local Planning Appeal Tribunal decision that seems to have put an end to the City's hopes to build a new downtown park over the rail corridor. Then Glyn goes on a brief rant about public washrooms. Finally, Ontario municipalities have until July 2022 to update their Official Plans to conform with the provincial government's current growth plan. This means Toronto, still in a pandemic, must begin a public engagement process about how the city should grow and develop. To discuss what needs to change about Toronto's Official Plan, we spoke to CivicAction CEO Leslie Woo, and Ryerson Professor and Director of the School of Urban and Regional Planning Pamela Robinson.

Episode 056: Rail Deck Park and best laid (official) plans

Before the pandemic, the Toronto Transit Commission was actively looking for ways to grow its ridership. Now, after taking a hit in numbers during the pandemic, it's important to think about ways to recover, as we slowly vaccinate the city. TTC Commissioner and Councillor Shelley Carroll speaks about a study she proposed to look at changing rider concerns, as well as the impact of ride-hailing services like Uber. University of Toronto Professor Akawsi Owusu-Bempah talks about a study he co-authored, commissioned by the TTC, which shows Black and Indigenous people are disproportionately represented in interactions with fare enforcement and special constables, and what the service needs to do about it. And, in celebration of Spacing's latest Public Health Issue, we talk to senior editor John Lorinc about his story "Valuable Crap," all about using sewage to detect community COVID-19 outbreaks.

Episode 055: Post-Pandemic Transit Ridership

Throughout this series, a common complaint from Canadian mayors is cities lack the money they need, and the authority to spend it on local priorities. Do cities need more money, more power to raise it (and spend it), or is it possible to establish cost-sharing partnerships between governments that feel like a win for everyone? Brian Kelcey our expert guest: an urban politics and policy consultant who's worked as a senior advisor in both municipal and provincial governments. He sheds some insight on building those intergovernmental relationships, and how the same kind of relationships are required to win greater city power. Mayor Maxime Pedneaud-Jobin is the mayor of Gatineau, Quebec, and says cities are responsible for more than they receive back from other levels of government. “We manage 58% of public infrastructure, and we get 8% of taxes in general... you don't need a PhD to understand that that's what's bringing down the cities.” Burlington, Ontario Mayor Marianne Meed Ward wants to see more reliable money for cities in the short term, but ultimately hopes for a charter solution. “Each municipality will have its own needs and its own desires for what they would like to have in a charter. In my mind, it's probably the best tool we have available to have this conversation.”

City in Sight: Finances, Charters, and Constitutional Change

Spacing and Evergreen proudly present The Future Fix: Solutions for Communities Across Canada, a special podcast series. This is a special, French-language edition. Spacing et Evergreen présentent ensemble une nouvelle série de podcast, Face au futur : des solutions pour les communautés du Canada, d’une côte à l’autre.  CET ÉPISODE: Une transition énergétique intelligente Les défis environnementaux sans précédent auxquels le monde est confronté, nous forcent à nous réinventer, surtout en période de crise sanitaire mondiale. Heureusement, le rythme de l’avancement technologique s’accélère et nous savons de plus en plus mettre à profit les données et les technologies au service des collectivités.  Dans cet épisode, nous avons été voir comment les données peuvent être utilisées pour faciliter la transition éco-énergétique de différentes communautés du Canada. Dans un premier temps, Eddie Oldfield, basé au Nouveau-Brunswick, nous présente un outil de référence mis en place par l’organisme Quest, qui permet de dresser un tableau de ce à quoi ressemble une collectivité éco-énergétique. Puis, Fabienne Joly, responsable de la transition énergétique à Lac-Mégantic, nous partage l’expérience de sa communauté avec le projet Micro-réseau développé avec Hydro-Québec. Un exemple très concret de la manière dont on peut faire coïncider les technologies, les ressources énergétiques et la participation citoyenne.

The Future Fix: Smart Energy Transition

To celebrate Spacing's latest book, Packaged Toronto: a collection of the city's historic design, we go deep into the history of early, industrial Toronto, and the graphic design of the era. Spacing Publisher and Creative Director Matthew Blackett talks about the inspiration for book he co-authored, and his experience putting it together. Recently retired Chief Curator for Toronto History Museums Wayne Reeves, another Packaged co-author, talks about the special collection of Toronto artifacts the book is about, and the story they tell about the city from the mid-19th century to the end of the Second World War. And brand consultant and Publisher of the Canadian Design Resource Todd Falkowsky talks about the history of graphic design in Canada, and the identity that emerged from it.

Episode 54: Packaged Toronto

The Indigenous population in urban areas is growing fast. What are cities doing to provide for these populations, to build cities that reflect these communities, and to address the calls to action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission? Would greater autonomy for cities help achieve these goals? To find out, we speak to three Canadian mayors. Mayor Brian Bowman is the mayor of Winnipeg, where the City has established a Human Rights Committee. “I increasingly started seeing Reconciliation through a human rights lens. Because, ultimately, we are just talking about basic human rights for Canadians.” Saskatoon Mayor Charlie Clark tells us about the Indigenous-led downtown safety pilot that was recently, unanimously approved by council, which would which would see matters of public safety, homelessness, and substance dependance addressed under the guidance of the Saskatoon Tribal Council. “We know this is rooted in a longtime history of colonial thinking, and the impacts of trauma and residential schools... the trick is how do you rebuild a path that breaks those cycles and changes the way we work with people, and changes those outcomes.” And Yellowknife Mayor Rebecca Alty explains the nuances of governing a city under a territorial, as opposed to a provincial, jurisdiction. And, she explains the importance of addressing Indigenous land claims and sovereignty, before we can begin discussing the rights of municipalities within those regions.

City in Sight: Indigenous Cities

Food security is a challenge everywhere, but especially for northern communities. The climate can make growing food difficult, and the distance and expense to ship food can mean long waits and exorbitant prices. In Gjoa Haven, Nunavut, the Arctic Research Foundation, in consultation with local elders, has established a farm and research station, built out of two shipping containers, called Naurvik. We speak to Betty Kogvik, one of the local guardians of the farm, and Arctic Research Foundation CEO Adrian Schimnowski, who hopes the idea can help different communities, and help us learn about growing in extreme environments: “We're looking at how to improve building research-type structures, how to utilize green energy, growing systems, and the other type of automated systems that assist with that. So within that there are so many different types of research possibilities.” The neighbouring communities of Opaskwayak Cree Nation, the town of The Pas, and the municipality of Kelsey Manitoba joined together to establish an LED Smart Farm to provide the people of that area with fresh produce they might not otherwise have access to. Glen Ross, executive director of Opaskwayak Cree Nation Health Authority explains: “We don't get get very good vegetables... by the time we get them, they're usually frozen a few times, kind of rubbery, and expensive.” Listen to the podcast for more about LED smart farm technology.

The Future Fix: Smart Farms for Northern Communities

The pandemic has been an existential threat to restaurants, cafés, and bars in cities across Canada. It's also been a financial blow to many, threatening their food security. In this episode, we look at the impact on the the business, ethics, and community of food in the city. Wine expert Krysta Oben talks about starting a new business, just as the pandemic struck. Writer, editor, and CBC Food Guide Suresh Doss talks about COVID's impact on the many different food-based communities across the GTA. Toronto Association of BIAs Executive Director John Kiru talks about plans to bring back programs to help restaurants create socially distanced outdoor dining spaces next summer, following the largely successful CaféTO and CurbTO programs last year. And Afri-Can FoodBasket Executive Director Anan Lololi talks about the legacy of food policy pioneer Wayne Roberts, as well as the need for food sovereignty in the pandemic for Black and racialized communities.

Episode 53: Food and Community

We began 2020 with a bit of optimism — how could we know? We had an episode about the public realm and its importance, and spoke to urban researcher/writer Cara Chellew about re-starting the Toronto Public Space Committee. Well, public space became a crucial issue throughout this pandemic and battle for civil rights, and we asked Cara what her Public Realm Resolutions are for 2021. Staying with the public space theme, writer and artist Shari Kasman tells us all about Bloordale Beach: a barren, gravel lot where a school had recently stood that everyday people took upon themselves to transform into a "beach" for socially distant hangouts. Finally, a year after the first PlazaPOPS experiment in activating strip mall parking lots as community space, we talk to "The Urban Geographer" Daniel Rotsztain and landscape architect and Guelph University Assistant Professor Brendan Stewart about the project, and their recently released report.

Episode 52: Public Realm Resolutions

Dealing with COVID-19 has been a challenge for every level of government. And, in a country where government jurisdictions are often clearly delineated, and defended, the pandemic response has required a certain level of federal, provincial, and municipal harmony. How have municipalities navigated these complex relationships in the midst of a global crisis? In this episode, we speak to TVO columnist and digital media producer John Michael McGrath about some of the political battles he's witnessed between governments, throughout the pandemic. Stratford Mayor Dan Mathieson talks about how a city famous for its annual theatre festival has managed to stay afloat. And Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens talks about how that city dealt with outbreaks among temporary foreign workers, and a population that sometimes relies on cross-border travel for employment.

City in Sight: Who's in Charge of the Pandemic?

In this episode, we look at the housing and homelessness crisis that has escalated into a full-blown disaster during the COVID-19 pandemic. Dania Majid, staff lawyer with Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario, tells us about people fighting to keep their homes, and the push for an eviction moratorium. And street nurse Cathy Crowe, and harm reduction worker Zoë Dodd, give us some insight into the challenges Toronto's homeless population continues to experience, the uncertain future of tent encampments, and how the City's response is felt on the ground.

Episode 51: Toronto's Shelter Disaster

The COVID-19 pandemic has been an existential threat to local businesses all over the country. In an effort to help these shops keep their doors open, governments, organizations, and Business Improvement Areas (BIAs) have had to get creative. In this episode, Canadian Urban Institute Senior Planner Ariana Holt talks about the Bring Back Main Street campaign. We go to Belleville, Ontario, where the Digital Main Street initiative helped that town create the Downtown District Marketplace. Belleville Downtown Improvement Area Executive Director Marijo Cuerrier explains. And Larry Burke, designer and board member of the Quinpool Road District Association in Halifax, New Brunswick tells us all about Shop Quinpool Online virtual shopping mall.

The Future Fix: Supporting Main Streets

Canadian cities often struggle with their lack of autonomy. Their status as "creatures of the province" can be a source of frustration: higher orders of government can undermine local leadership, and cities themselves sometimes lack the ability to realize their goals. In this episode, Massey College Principal Nathalie Des Rosiers lays out the issues with cities' low constitutional status. Victoria Mayor Lisa Helps makes the case for a better, reliable share of funding for cities, and greater ability to enact laws around things like climate change. And Edmonton Mayor Don Iveson, who chairs the Big City Mayors' Caucus, tells us why being a Canadian mayor can sometimes feel like sitting at the "kids' table."

City in Sight: The Case for Local Power

Spacing Radio is the voice of Spacing, Canada's leading publication on urbanism.

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