A Playbook for Voluntary Regional Governance in Greater Toronto

The need for more effective regional governance in the Toronto region has long been evident, and has been thrown into greater relief by the coronavirus pandemic. Problems such as lack of affordable housing, income inequality, the need to spur economic development, and the impact of climate change all spill across municipal boundaries and must be addressed through cooperation and coordination at the regional scale. This paper proposes a “playbook” for greater regional coordination in Greater Toronto, led not by the provincial government, nor even by local mayors and councillors, but rather, as a starting point, by senior municipal public servants. The playbook outlines practical steps municipal executives and senior officials (city managers, CAOs, commissioners, general managers, and chief planners) in the Greater Toronto region can take to build momentum toward greater voluntary regional governance. Step 1: Assemble a trusted group of peers to informally build interest in collaboration. Step 2: Convene a formal meeting of municipal executives to determine shared priorities and principles for cooperation. Step 3: Pick a project to work on together based on potential impact and degree of difficulty. Step 4: Design a “minimum viable process” to address operational, governance, and resource needs. Step 5: Track and evaluate progress using project-specific performance indicators. Step 6: Formalize the voluntary arrangement by tailoring national and international models to local conditions.