Guidelines for Federal Policy Priorities in Urban Areas

Executive Summary

This report presents a number of guidelines and principles that could serve as a basis for reviewing federal policy priorities in urban areas with a particular focus on Winnipeg. It combines research undertaken during past months and the views expressed at a roundtable on federal policy priorities in the Winnipeg area hosted by the Institute of Urban Studies of the University of Winnipeg. Western Economic Diversification Canada has commissioned this report as a way to promote dialogue on federal urban policy and more specifically, its future focus in Winnipeg.

Propelled by circumstances such as the rapid urbanization of the country and the need to build housing and basic infrastructure, the federal government became actively involved in Canadian urban issues for more than two decades after World War II. In the late 1970s and during 1980s, however, much of this changed. Federal involvement waned in the wake of a recession and a changing relationship with the provinces.

Today, Canadian cities are facing dynamic economic, social, demographic and environmental forces that, although quite different from the circumstances that precipitated past federal involvement in urban issues, are nevertheless creating a set of circumstances and impacts that are beyond the scope of any one level of government. Factors such as globalization, the shift to an information and knowledge-based economy, an aging population, increased immigration, homelessness, poverty, decaying infrastructure, deteriorating city neighbourhoods and concerns about clean air and clean water are having a significant impact on many urban areas.

There is also a new recognition of the importance of cities to regional economies. A single metropolitan area can dominate the economy of a particular region. As a result, a region's economic fate can be inextricably linked to the economic success or failure of a major urban centre. Winnipeg, for example, dominates the Manitoba economy, employing nearly 64% of the provincial workforce and accounting for close to 80% of the province's economic activity.

Furthermore, it is increasingly understood that Canada's quality of life and economic health are linked to that of its major urban centres. This is particularly true as cities and their surrounding metropolitan areas become the main drivers of economic growth in Canada and generate progressively larger portions of the nation's jobs, income and output. This linkage, therefore, requires all levels of government to participate in the urban agenda and for the federal government, in particular, to acknowledge the contribution that urban centres make to the national economy both by developing a renewed focus on urban issues and by supporting the diverse economies of Canada's urban centres.

The report explores a number of themes that could serve as guidelines for federal policy priorities in urban centres. These are summarized under the following headings:

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