CityTalk Canada

This third week of September 2026 was filled with some extraordinary developments regarding Canada's future...from the billions expected to land via the first-ever Canada Investment Summit to a ground-breaking relationship with the European Union . How all of this benefits the evolution of Canadian federalism and the economics of our communities is what's top-of-mind for both CUI's Mary Rowe and her guest Sean Speer , senior fellow at the University of Toronto's Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy and editor-at-large at The Hub Media Group. It could be one of the most extraordinary conversations you hear this week. FYI if you're keen to explore some of Sean's references, here's where to find them: Rowell-Sirois Commission Ideas Have Consequences - Richard Weaver Canada’s Constitution - Sections 91 & 92 Talk to us from your city

With the Canada-USA trade war escalating, there's a particular group of Canadians bearing the brunt of its impact, and whose livelihoods are in peril. They're the independent manufacturers, retailers and service outlets lining the main streets of communities across the country. In this episode, CUI CEO Mary Rowe chats with Dan Kelly, CEO of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, one of this group's staunch defenders and advocates, about the policies and actions needed by government and consumers to support this critical contributor to our economy. Talk to us from your city

More top-level answers to FAQs about the present and future of Canada's housing continuum delivered by leaders from every corner of the country, including real estate developers, bankers, not-for-profit and co-op associations as well as the federal Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities, Gregor Robertson. Join CUI's Mary Rowe for another 'lightning round' of helpful advice. Talk to us from your city

More smart, helpful answers to a wide variety of FAQs about the present and future of Canada's housing ecosystem...provided by many of the leading stakeholders attending CUI's Housing Future Summit in June 2026. If you're planning to change your address this year, you'll want to hear what the experts are saying about your best options. Join host and FAQ quizmaster Mary Rowe for another round. Talk to us from your city

Curious about what's really going on with Canada's housing system? Here's your answer... actually, many of them. At its recent Housing Future Summit, CUI gathered the leading voices in the housing continuum to answer some FAQs about current challenges and opportunities, and the solutions in development across the country. Host Mary Rowe is your guide and quiz mistress. Talk to us from your city

Across the country, people are increasingly turning to encampments for shelter. These informal communities spotlight many complex challenges, from housing affordability to substance use and mental health issues. Encampments also present challenges to the social and economic functioning of neighbourhoods and downtown areas.For the last few years CUI has been very involved in convening a broad range of stakeholders - with lived experience, community leaders, civic organizations, business operators – to look for mutually respectful, effective solutions to ensuring our cities are accessible, safe and equitable for everyone. We are continuing to work with partners from coast to coast to coast to identify the best approaches, as communities try different ways to address these challenges.The mayor of Barrie, Ontario, Alex Nuttall, reached a tipping point and has chosen to declare a state of emergency to address it there. He talks to host Mary Rowe about what led to this decision, how he intends to move forward, as well as the limits of the city’s power.CityTalk will be featuring a variety of voices and perspectives on this topic in the coming months, as communities of every size continue to grapple with how to ensure their places are equitable, safe, desirable and productive for everyone. Talk to us from your city

Vancouver’s Downtown East Side has long been associated with high levels of homelessness and substance abuse, issues which many cities across the country are now facing. Host Mary Rowe speaks with two people who help deliver services and housing supports to people in the neighbourhood, and share lessons that other communities can learn.Donna-Lynn Rosa is CEO of Atira Women’s Resource Society and Corey McCallum is Atira’s Director of Outreach Programs. They talk about how to engage respectfully with people experiencing homelessness, addiction and mental health challenges, misconceptions about the Downtown East Side, and why they encourage people to not think of homelessness and substance use as “problems” with a clear solution. This is part of an ongoing series on CityTalk about how to address the interconnected challenges of substance use, mental health and homelessness that many cities are facing. Talk to us from your city

This CityTalk hosted a conversation with the CEOs of Build Canada Homes and the Canada Infrastructure Bank on how to get more built, faster. Ana Bailão, CEO of Build Canada Homes and Ehren Cory, CEO of the Canada Infrastructure Bank shared their thoughts on how to leverage strategic financing and other tools to develop much-needed housing and housing-enabling infrastructure. Coming at the end of a tumultuous year for Canada and immediately following the State of Canada’s Cities Summit, this session situates housing within the broader economic and infrastructure agenda, examining what it will take to align public investment, institutional capital, and industry capacity. This event is essential viewing for public officials, housing providers and developers, investors, and community leaders who need a clear picture of where Canada’s housing system is headed and how emerging institutions like Build Canada Homes and the CIB intend to deliver results.​ Talk to us from your city

Many of our cities’ biggest challenges right now are playing out inside public libraries. Library staff come face-to-face daily with issues relating to homelessness, substance use, mental and physical health, and, of course, education. As they continue to adapt to their communities' increasing needs, their funding is not growing.Two library CEOs from opposite ends of the country join host Mary Rowe to talk about the reality of running a library in 2025. Åsa Kachan is the CEO and chief librarian for Halifax Public Libraries. Pilar Martinez is the CEO of Edmonton Public Libraries.You can read more on this topic in CUI’s report, Overdue: The Case for Canada’s Public Libraries. https://canurb.org/wp-content/uploads/CUI_Overdue_report_10.04.23.pdf Talk to us from your city

The increased threat of extreme weather has made it increasingly clear that we need to better prepare for - and respond to - these events.Author Adam Greenfield thinks one answer is to create a new kind of institution at the heart of each neighbourhood. He calls it a “lifehouse”, a community hub to provide refuge and resources during emergencies, as well as ongoing services like daycare and workshops. Adam talks to host Mary Rowe about what a lifehouse is, how he took inspiration from the Occupy Sandy hurricane relief effort, and why getting to know your neighbour may be the radical thing you can do.Adam Greenfield’s book is called Lifehouse: Taking Care of Ourselves in a World on Fire. Talk to us from your city

Further reading: “How resilient is New Orleans Today” at The Brookings Institution. Talk to us from your city

Last summer, Beth Sanders was getting ready to lead a new planning department for Jasper, Alberta when the municipality was evacuated due to wildfires. The fires ended up destroying about a third of the town. Beth joins Mary to talk about the challenges and opportunities of rebuilding, as well as lessons for other municipalities facing increasing threats from climate change.Beth is the Director of Urban Design and Standards for the Municipality of Jasper and the author of Nest City. Talk to us from your city

It’s no secret that Canada is in a housing crisis. The gap between incomes and housing prices has been growing for decades, as governments of all political stripes have promised to ease the burden. So what will it take to finally end it? Murtaza Haider and Carolyn Whitzman join host Mary Rowe to talk about how we got here and what we can do about it.Carolyn Whitzman is a senior housing researcher at the University of Toronto’s School of Cities and author of Home Truths: Fixing Canada's Housing Crisis. Murtaza Haider is the Executive Director of the Cities Institute at the University of Alberta, where he is also a Professor and the Radhe Krishna Gupta Executive Chair in Cities and Communities. Talk to us from your city

Festivals can be a great excuse to get out and see something new. But they can also be disruptive to local residents and businesses. So when do they help a place thrive, and when are they more trouble than they’re worth? CityTalk host Mary Rowe gets the perspectives of two guests who helped shape iconic downtown areas. Tim Tompkins was president of the Times Square Alliance in New York City from 2002 to 2020. He’s now director of the Sustaining Places Initiative at the NYU Marron Institute. And Mark Garner is executive director at Calgary Downtown Association. He’s the former CEO and executive director of Toronto's Downtown Yonge Business Improvement Association. Talk to us from your city

At the Canadian Urban Institute, better, future-proof infrastructure pervades every project and discussion we have. Ahead of the upcoming Ontario Bike Summit in Windsor, host Mary Rowe has a two-wheeled chat with leading advocates for more, better and safer urban cycling systems, including Eleanor McMahon (Share The Road Coalition); Lanrick Bennett Jr. (School of Cities, U of T); Leona Medley (Joe Louis Greenway Partnership); and Anneke Smit (Centre for Cities, Windsor Law). Learn more about the Ontario Bike Summit here . Talk to us from your city

The title of this episode is shared with a report recently released by the Canadian Urban Institute. It compiles the findings from thousands of community-level placemaking projects along with perspectives on placemaking from leading practitioners, including Jerome Barth of Belleville Placemaking (NYC) and Marc-André Carignan of Kollectif (Mtl.) featured in conversation with host Mary Rowe. Report author Jacquelyn West also discussed key findings with Bridget MacIntosh, a Toronto-based cultural strategist and contributor to the report. Download a copy of Let's Talk About Placemaking here. Talk to us from your city

Housing and infrastructure present challenges to nations across the globe. CUI's State of Canada's Cities Summit was pleased to welcome Alain Resplendy-Bernard, director of State Buildings for the government of France, as a special guest panellist. CUI board chair Cameron Charlebois also met Alain at our onsite studio for a deeper dive en français . Also, CUI researcher Jacquelyn West speaks to Monique Simard, board chair of Montreal's Partenariat du Quartier des spectacles, considered one of the most successful ' centre-ville ' revitalizations in the world. See and hear more about the Summit at citytalkcanada.ca. Talk to us from your city

Day 2 of CUI's State of Canada's Summit in Ottawa (December 2024) offered something new to attendees - walking tours of innovative project sites. Our microphones joined Brad Rodgers and Ana Bailao of Dream Unlimited for a tour of Zibi, a net-zero community being developed on the banks of the Ottawa River. Later, we joined Leanne Moussa and Kwende Kefentse along Ottawa's Laurier Avenue to hear about their community redevelopment initiative dubbed The Other Hill. See and hear more about the Summit at citytalkcanada.ca . Talk to us from your city

For the final episode gleaned from the State of Canada's Cities Summit, host Mary Rowe introduces a 'blue-ribbon' panel of housing experts recorded at the Beaver Barracks Housing Development in Ottawa. The discussion centres on the evolving roles and responsibilities for all orders of government in solving Canada's housing crisis. See and hear more about the Summit at citytalkcanada.ca. Talk to us from your city

Bolstering Canada's local economies has become an instant priority in the wake of proposed actions by the Trump administration. Fortunately, we have no shortage of smart people with innovative solutions already in the works. Canadian Urban Institute CEO Mary Rowe chats with Heather Hachigian, Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Management at the School of Business at Royal Roads University in Victoria BC about the 'five pillars' of community wealth building solutions. See and hear more about this program at citytalkcanada.ca Talk to us from your city