Canada

An internal government report questions why the Canadian federal government held back more than $70 million dollars from homelessness programs.

As Canada's political landscape has changed over the past few years, so too has the federal approach to Canada's cities.

A new report from the Conference Board of Canada says that Canada's cities are neglected and disempowered, and need more taxing power of their own and more direct investments from other levels of government.

Canada's official multiculturalism -- which is more about celebrating diversity than achieving equality -- is encouraging a dramatic growth in urban and suburban ethnic enclaves, and may be impeding integration with the larger society.

The planning and placement of schools is making students 'auto-dependent', according to an urban planning academic in Canada. Others also bemoan the architectural design of schools and the potentially harmful building materials used to build them.

With more and more infill sites being developed, environmental due diligence on potential development sites has become the norm, partly due to the insistence of lenders and municipalities.

Demand for locally-grown food is increasing in Canada, but the number of organic growers has shown a national decline. A shortage of organic processing plants -- especially those used for meats -- is a limiting factor in the 'slow food' movement.

New statistics from the Canadian Urban Transit Association show that larger cities with better, more frequent transit service, and incentives such as universal bus passes for university students, saw major increases in ridership.

With "localism" being trumpeted by all sides of the political spectrum, maybe it's time to ask if local needs are better served by nation states, writes Doug Saunders.

Canada tries out traffic roundabouts in an effort to reduce traffic in some of the country's busiest areas. Some cities are reluctant to replace traffic lights with roundabouts because of safety concerns.

New figures show a dramatic downturn in two of Canada's hottest real estate markets -- Calgary and Vancouver -- though the change appears to be a reaction on the part of consumers to unrealistically rapid price increases.

As certain agricultural markets are globalizing, many small farming communities from South Dakota to Mississippi to Australia are facing a strong decline in population that shows little sign of rebounding.

Ottawa's proposed Clean Air Act would repudiate Canada's Kyoto commitments, and not produce results until 2050, writes John Ibbitson.

Canadians have always been proud of the fact that Jane Jacobs called Toronto home. Why then, asks the Globe and Mail's Lisa Rochan, has the city of Toronto been strangely silent about how to keep her legacy alive?

A new Canadian documentary tackling suburban sprawl is as generic as the subdivisions it criticizes, says the Globe & Mail's Trevor Boddy.

In a sweeping series of budget cuts, Canada's Conservative government has eliminated the only federal support available for municipalities wanting to preserve heritage buildings.

With growing need for new infrastructure in Canada's growing urban centers, city officials are seeking to reclaim some of the revenue they send to Ottawa.

A look at six programs in the U.S. that are putting environmental principles to practice in education.

A new report from Statistics Canada shows that city dwellers in Canada are less likely to be overweight than those residing in rural areas, and that this tendency increases with the size of city.

A new study in Canada provides additional evidence linking the obesity epidemic in North America with suburban sprawl.