Canada's chronically underfunded cities beg government to fix crisis

Mayors from right across the country have been saying it for a long time now ... their cities are starved for cash.

The buzz phrases are all familiar by now — crumbling infrastructure, overloaded transit systems, and clogged roads. And this week, cities put a price tag on the kind of cash infusion they'd like to see... calling for the federal budget to include at least $1-billion a year in new funding for public transit.

This week's call for cash came from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities. And that group's first vice president, Vancouver city councillor and acting mayor Raymound Louie, joined us from Vancouver.

Perennial pleas for increased city funding can feel as predictable as the spring thaw. Municipal leaders seem to be forever talking about the need for more money, while at the same time being under constant pressure to invest in major infrastructure projects. And in the end, there never seems to be enough to go around.

Today we're asking whether there's a way to solve the problem of our chronically underfunded municipalities. And we've assembled a panel of thinkers to tackle the question.

Andrew Miller is a strategic leader with the City of Mississauga. He was in Toronto.

Frances Bula is a municipal reporter in Vancouver.

Ross Hickey is Assistant Professor of Economics at the University of British Columbia Okanagan. He was in Kelowna. 

Add your thoughts to this discussion. 

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This segment was produced by The Current's Kristin Nelson and Liz Hoath.