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Enid Slack

Director of the Institute on Municipal Finance and Governance (IMFG) at the School of Cities, University of Toronto
Dr. Enid Slack is the Director of the Institute on Municipal Finance and Governance (IMFG) at the School of Cities at the University of Toronto. The IMFG focuses on the fiscal health and governance challenges facing large cities and city-regions. The Institute’s mandate is to conduct independent research, spark and inform public debate, and to engage the academic and policy communities around important issues of municipal finance and governance.

Enid has been working on municipal finance issues in Canada and abroad for 40 years. Prior to establishing the IMFG, she was a consultant specializing in municipal finance. Enid has worked with the World Bank, the IMF, UN Habitat, ADB, and IDB in countries such as Brazil, China, Colombia, India, Mexico, Mongolia, the Philippines, South Africa, Tanzania, and Uganda. She has written several books and articles on property taxes, intergovernmental transfers, development charges, financing municipal infrastructure, municipal governance, municipal boundary restructuring, and education funding. Recent books (co-edited with Richard Bird) include Financing Urban Infrastructure: Who Should Pay and Is Your City Healthy? Measuring Urban Fiscal Health.

Enid received her B.A. in Economics from York University (Glendon College), and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Toronto. In 2012, Enid was awarded the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal for her work on cities.

Canada's federal transfer payment system badly needs a tune-up

Apr 27, 2023 08:16 am UTC| Economy

Federal transfer payments are at the heart of the Canadian federation. They ensure critical public services are equitably funded right across the country and account for roughly one-fifth of total provincial revenues. For...

Economy

Asian Markets Quiet as Japan Gains on BOJ Decision; Australia Eyes Rate Cut

Most Asian stock markets were closed Thursday due to the Labor Day holiday, with trading volumes remaining low. However, Japanese shares advanced after the Bank of Japan (BOJ) left interest rates unchanged at 0.5%, as...

Australia’s Gold Rush to U.S. Turns Trade Deficit into Surplus

Australia recorded its strongest three-month export performance to the United States, driven largely by a surge in gold shipments amid President Donald Trumps tariff policies. According to the Australian Bureau of...

Dollar Stabilizes Amid Trade War Easing Hopes and Yen Waits on BOJ Decision

The U.S. dollar held steady on Thursday, shrugging off weak domestic data as markets turned hopeful over signs of easing global trade tensions. Despite suffering its steepest monthly decline in over two years through...

US Stock Futures Surge as Microsoft and Meta Earnings Beat Forecasts

U.S. stock futures rose sharply Wednesday night, driven by strong earnings reports from tech giants Microsoft and Meta Platforms. This positive momentum came after a choppy regular session where Wall Street posted modest...

Gold Slips on Eased Tariff Fears, Eyes Key U.S. Economic Data

Gold prices extended their decline during Asian trading on Wednesday as easing U.S. auto tariffs and positive trade signals reduced safe-haven demand. President Donald Trump signed two orders offering tax credits and...

Politics

Senate Deadlocked on Tariff Rollback as U.S. Economy Shrinks

The U.S. Senate voted 49-49 on Wednesday, failing to pass a resolution aimed at reversing President Donald Trumps sweeping tariffs. The tie vote came just hours after federal data revealed that the U.S. economy contracted...

U.S. Warns Iran Over Houthi Support Amid Ongoing Nuclear Talks

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a stern warning to Iran on Wednesday over its support for Yemens Houthi rebels, even as indirect nuclear negotiations between the two nations continue. Speaking via X (formerly...

Singapore PM Urges Support for Trusted Team Ahead of May 3 Election

Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong has urged voters to re-elect his cabinet in the May 3 general election, emphasizing the need for experienced leaders with strong ties to both the U.S. and China. Addressing 1.4...

Australia’s Labor Government Poised for Narrow Election Win Amid Trump Policy Backlash

Australias center-left Labor government appears on track to secure re-election in a tightly contested national vote this weekend, according to two opinion polls released Thursday. A RedBridge-Accent poll conducted April...

Trump Administration Open to Boosting North American Manufacturing with Canada’s PM Carney

The Trump administration is prepared to collaborate with Canadas newly appointed Prime Minister Mark Carney to strengthen North American manufacturing, according to U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer. In a televised...

Science

Kennedy Sets September Deadline to Uncover Autism Causes Amid Controversy

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced a bold plan to identify the cause of autism by September 2025. Speaking at a cabinet meeting with President Donald Trump, Kennedy declared a global...

AstraZeneca’s Imfinzi Gets US Approval for Bladder Cancer Treatment

AstraZenecas drug Imfinzi (NASDAQ: AZN) has received U.S. approval to treat adult patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer, a significant advancement in cancer therapy. The approval allows Imfinzi to be used in...

Sanofi’s New Hemophilia Drug Qfitlia Gains FDA Approval with Breakthrough Bimonthly Dosing

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Qfitlia, a groundbreaking hemophilia treatment by French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi (NASDAQ: SNY). Designed for patients aged 12 and older with hemophilia A or B,...

FDA Vaccine Chief Peter Marks Resigns Amid Controversy Over Transparency

Peter Marks, the U.S. Food and Drug Administrations (FDA) top vaccine official, has resigned after reportedly being forced out by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), according to The Wall Street Journal....

Museums have tons of data, and AI could make it more accessible − but standardizing and organizing it across fields won’t be easy

Ice cores in freezers, dinosaurs on display, fish in jars, birds in boxes, human remains and ancient artifacts from long gone civilizations that few people ever see museum collections are filled with all this and more....

Technology

Xiaomi Unveils MiMo AI Model, Shares Surge 5% on Breakthrough Launch

Xiaomi Corp (HK:1810) launched its first open-source large language model, MiMo, on Wednesday, marking its official entry into the competitive artificial intelligence space. The debut sent Xiaomis Hong Kong-listed shares...

OpenAI Rolls Back GPT-4o Update After User Backlash Over "Sycophantic" Behavior

OpenAI has rolled back a recent update to its GPT-4o model used in ChatGPT, following widespread criticism from users who found the AI assistant excessively flattering and overly agreeable. The company announced Tuesday...

TSMC Expands U.S. Chip Production With Third Arizona Fab and $100B Investment Boost

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (NYSE:TSM), the worlds largest contract chipmaker, has officially broken ground on its third semiconductor fabrication plant in Phoenix, Arizona. This marks a major milestone in the...

Meta Launches Standalone AI App to Compete with OpenAI and Google

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) has released a standalone app for its Meta AI assistant, marking a significant step to boost its presence in the rapidly evolving AI market. Previously accessible only through Metas main...

Alibaba Launches Qwen 3 AI Model Amid Intensifying China Tech Competition

Chinese tech giant Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) unveiled Qwen 3 on Tuesday, a next-generation AI model featuring hybrid reasoning capabilities aimed at boosting performance and adaptability. The move underscores Alibabas...