Many of Canada's larger urban areas face problems that are so enormous in scope that local governments cannot handle them alone. Affordable housing and brownfield sites are two shining examples of large impediments that are driven largely by market failure. As such, while both areas are eligible for funding under existing infrastructure programs, the severity of these problems indicates that not only additional federal financial assistance is required, but also its creativity and leadership. The good news is that the federal government has begun to raise its profile in both areas over the past few years, with the establishment of the federal-provincial Affordable Housing Framework and the National Roundtable on the Environment and Economy. We hope efforts on both of these fronts continue to be well supported.
The federal government could also spearhead the development of tripartite agreements - or formal deals between all levels of government that are designed to accomplish a specific set of goals. In fact, there have been precedents in Canada for this type of arrangement in Winnipeg and Vancouver. The federal government - along with its provincial and local counterparts - can apply the lessons learned from these experiences to improve the usefulness of the tripartite model in the future.