To what extent should urban neighbourhoods and local businesses be impacted by the construction of transit or other infrastructure projects?

This excerpt has been condensed and re-ordered from its original text [Submission to the B.C. Government on Accessibility Legislation] in order to provide a concise historical analysis of the colonial inception of Canada and its devastating impacts on Black and Indigenous peoples. Find the full report here.

Editor's note: In advance of the National Forum on Clean Energy and Industry taking place on October 3rd in Ottawa, the Broadbent Institute will be featuring a series of blog posts focused on policy options for transitioning to a green economy. 

If Canada is to move more rapidly towards a green economy, a massive change is needed in the transport sector.

This applies both to the types of transit we use and to the energy sources we use to power us. Managing this transition effectively requires that planners also address equity concerns, to ensure that new transport technologies and modes are affordable for all segments of society.

Ontario politics in the coming months are set to revolve around a debate on whether taxes should be raised to pay for a massive expansion of public transit and transportation infrastructure in the highly urbanized and acutely congested Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA), home to about half of the province’s population.

Inequality is often described as differential status among individuals or groups. However, places can be unequal too. Canada’s cities are sites of growing urban inequality, and it is entire neighbourhoods that are experiencing these changes. About 80% of Canadians live in cities, and that percentage is rising. What does inequality look like in Canada’s urban communities and on city streets?