The State of Unicity – 25 Years Later: Conference Proceedings (October 3-4, 1997) Occasional Paper No. 35 __________________ edited by Nancy Klos 1998 __________________ The Institute of Urban Studies FOR INFORMATION: The Institute of Urban Studies The University of Winnipeg 599 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg phone: 204.982.1140 fax: 204.943.4695 general email: [email protected] Mailing Address: The Institute of Urban Studies The University of Winnipeg 515 Portage Avenue Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3B 2E9 THE STATE OF UNICITY – 25 YEARS LATER: CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS (OCTOBER 3-4, 1997) Occasional Paper No. 35 Published 1998 by the Institute of Urban Studies, University of Winnipeg © THE INSTITUTE OF URBAN STUDIES Note: The cover page and this information page are new replacements, 2016. The Institute of Urban Studies is an independent research arm of the University of Winnipeg. Since 1969, the IUS has been both an academic and an applied research centre, committed to examining urban development issues in a broad, non-partisan manner. The Institute examines inner city, environmental, Aboriginal and community development issues. In addition to its ongoing involvement in research, IUS brings in visiting scholars, hosts workshops, seminars and conferences, and acts in partnership with other organizations in the community to effect positive change. THE STATE OF UNICITY-25 YEARS LATER CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS (OCTOBER 3-4, 1997) Occasional Paper 35 Nancy Klos, Editor Institute of Urban Studies 1998 ii PUBLICATION DATA Klos, Nancy, Editor The State of Unicity-25 Years Later, Conference Proceedings (October 3-4, 1997) (Occasional Paper 35) ISBN: 1-896023-00-2 I. The University of Winnipeg. Institute of Urban Studies II. Title. Ill. Series: Occasional Paper (The University of Winnipeg, Institute of Urban Studies); 35. This publication was funded by the Institute of Urban Studies and The Winnipeg Foundation, but the views expressed are the personal views of the author(s) and the funders accept no responsibility for them. Published by: Institute of Urban Studies The University of Winnipeg 346 Portage Avenue Winnipeg, Manitoba R3C OC3 copyright 1998 ISBN: 1-896023-00-2 Institute of Urban Studies iii CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS v INTRODUCTION vii NancyKios PART ONE: KEYNOTE ADDRESS WHY UNICITY MATTERS: AN OUTSIDER'S VIEW 3 Andrew Sancton PART TWO: UNICITY-25 YEARS LATER "STAY THE COURSE": REFLECTIONS ON UNICITY 13 Alan F.J. Artibise UNICITY: BUREAUCRATIC SUCCESS, POLITICAL NIGHTMARE 17 Peter Diamant UNICITY: PERSONAL REFLECTIONS 25 Muriel Smith REFLECTIONS ON UNICITY AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT IN WINNIPEG 31 Bernie Wolfe PART THREE: MUNICIPAL DEMOCRACY AND CITIZEN PARTICIPATION MUNICIPAL DEMOCRACY AND CITIZEN PARTICIPATION 41 Earl A. Levin DIAGNOSING THE HEALTH OF CIVIC DEMOCRACY: 25 YEARS OF CITIZEN INVOLVEMENT WITH CITY HALL 47 Paul G. Thomas UNICITY: AN EVALUATION 51 Wayne Helgason PART FOUR: AMALGAMATION IN THE 1990s MUNICIPAL AMALGAMATION IN THE 'NINETIES IN QUEBEC 55 Robert Cournoyer GOVERNANCE REFORM IN THE GREATER TORONTO AREA 63 Elizabeth McLaren RURAL CONSOLIDATION OF MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENTS IN CANADA 72 Richard C. Rounds iv PART FIVE: URBAN GOVERNANCE FOR THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY URBAN GOVERNANCE FOR THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY 81 Warren Magnusson URBAN GOVERNANCE FOR THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY: WHAT THE UNICITY EXPERIENCE TELLS US 87 Greg Selinger URBAN DEVELOPMENT IN A SLOW-GROWTH CITY 104 Christopher Leo and Wilson Brown with Kris J. Dick POST-MODERNIZING UNICITY-THE NEXT 25 YEARS: FRAGMENTATION OR TRANSFORMATION? 126 fan Wight ABOUT THE AUTHORS 142 v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The organizers would like to extend their sincere thanks to the individuals and organizations who helped to make "The State of Unicity-25 Years Later'' Conference a success. The invited panellists and speakers prepared outstanding presentations which are printed in these proceedings, and made a significant contribution to the discussion during the conference. The organizers are also grateful for the support of Her Worship Mayor Susan Thompson and the participation of moderators William Norrie, Marsha Hanen, Lorne Weiss and lan Wight in conducting the panels and the question periods. Leslie Vryenhoek of University Relations at The University of Winnipeg and Bruce Cherney, Editor of the Winnipeg Real Estate News, provided invaluable assistance with event publicity. Claudius Soodeen provided multi-media support throughout the conference. Heather Nelson staffed the registration desk. Christian Douchant, Ragini Dayal and Edward Cloutis of the Institute of Urban Studies assisted in the multitude of tasks involved in the organization of the conference. The Conference Advisory Committee made up ofTom Carter, Peter Diamant, Christian Douchant and Christopher Leo deserve special mention for their advice in planning this event. Generous financial support for the conference and these proceedings was provided by The Winnipeg Foundation, the City of Winnipeg and The University of Winnipeg Department of Political Science. Nancy Klos Mary Ann Beavis Conference Co-ordinators vii INTRODUCTION On January 1, 1972, a new form of municipal government known as Unicity came into existence in the Greater Winnipeg area. This innovative experiment in local government reform officially established the City of Winnipeg as one unified city which incorporated the former municipalities of Winnipeg, St. James­ Assiniboia, St. Boniface, Transcona, St. Vital, West Kildonan, East Kildonan, Tuxedo, Old Kildonan, North Kildonan, Fort Garry and Charleswood, and replaced the two-tier metropolitan system established in 1960. Winnipeg's Unicity was to centralize service delivery and administration while equalizing mill rates and decentralizing the political process to bring local government closer to the people. Unicity captured the attention of cities and city reformers across Canada and North America for this unique combination of goals as well as for its key features: a large Council with 51 members (50 Councillors and a Mayor elected-at-large), small wards, 13 Community Committees, an Executive Policy Committee, a Board of Commissioners, and the formation of Resident Advisory Groups (RAGs). Now 25 years later, how has the Unicity experiment turned out, and where are we going as the future presents even greater challenges? To mark the 25th anniversary of Winnipeg's unified civic government, the Institute of Urban Studies organized "The State of Unicity-25 Years Later Conference," held at The University of Winnipeg, October 3-4, 1997. The 25th anniversary of Unicity presented a unique opportunity to revisit this important event in post-war Canadian urban reform, but more importantly, to examine the present state of local government in Winnipeg and other municipalities, and the future of urban governance. The conference was funded by The Winnipeg Foundation, the City of Winnipeg and The University of Winnipeg Department of Political Science, and was well attended by a diverse audience made up of current and former elected officials and civic administrators (local and regional), community group representatives, academics, students and interested citizens. Her Worship Mayor Susan Thompson delivered the conference opening remarks on the evening of October 3 and introduced Andrew Sancton, who provided "An Outsider's View" of Unicity in a public keynote address. Local and national experts and practitioners in urban affairs and government (see pp. 142-44) were invited to participate on four panels held on October 4 which discussed Unicity-25 Years Later, Municipal Democracy and Citizen Participation, Amalgamation in the 1990s, and Urban Governance for the twenty-first Century. The conference also included two luncheon addresses. Warren Magnusson spoke about "Politicizing the Global City" on October 3 as part of the "Building Urban Community Lecture Series" in association with the Department of Political Science, while Bernie Wolfe provided his personal "Reflections on Unicity and Local Government in Winnipeg" for conference registrants on October 4. Special recognition was given at the conference to Saul Cherniack, former Metropolitan councillor and the first Manitoba Minister of Urban Affairs. Klos viii Introduction This volume contains the papers presented by the 12 panellists as well as the keynote and luncheon speakers over the two days of the conference: The papers reflect the varied backgrounds of the authors, at least eight of whom have held political office or have worked at the local or provincial government level. Due to a time limit imposed on panellists, the majority of the papers are brief in length,- although each makes important observations about local government which have practical and theoretical significance for Winnipeg and other Canadian municipalities. The papers presented here contribute to our understanding of the impact of the Unicity experiment and municipal amalgamation, and provide insights to help inform plans for the next 25 years of local government in Winnipeg. Many of the comments made by the panellists and speakers, as well as by members of the audience, suggest a prevailing admiration for the vision of the original Unicity designers, despite the ongoing debate over the success or failure of unification. While the debate will continue, it is evident that a vision for the next 25 years cannot exclude the citizens of Winnipeg, neighbourhood initiative and the growing urban Aboriginal community in particular-plans are currently underway for Aboriginal community revitalization in the North Main Street