Local Governance Seminar Series

London Ontario Cityscape

The Local Governance Seminars are sponsored by the Department of Political Science and the Faculty of Social Science.

All LGP Speaker Series Seminars can be found on our YouTube site.

2017-2018 Seminars

Speaker: Michael Fenn.  Over the course of an extensive career in public service, Michael Fenn has been an Ontario Deputy Minister under three Premiers, municipal chief administrator in Hamilton and Burlington, and the founding CEO of both transportation authority Metrolinx and regional health authority Mississauga Halton LHIN. Currently a Senior Advisor with StrategyCorp, Michael is a consultant specializing in the public sector and healthcare services delivery. In 2018, he was also appointed Visiting Fellow (Infrastructure) at the Ivey Business School’s Lawrence National Centre.
Topic: Ontario Local Government Reaches an Inflection Point: The Outlook for the Near-Term Future
Date: Wednesday, November 21, 2018
Time: 12:30pm-1:30 PM
Location: SSC 4255

POSTER

Map: http://www.localgovernment.uwo.ca/about_us/location.html
Floorplan:http://www.ssc.uwo.ca/PDF_folder/SSC_Floor_Plan/web_Level_4_new2.pdf

Everyone is welcome to attend. Please RSVP to localgov@uwo.ca by Friday, November 16th so we have an idea for numbers as a light lunch will be provided.


Speaker: Suzanne Craig, Graduate of the University of Toronto, Completed post-graduate studies at the American University, attended the Doctor of Law program at the University of Rome, Italy, and the Masters of Law program at Osgoode Hall Law School
Topic: Municipal Accountability Under Construction: From Bill 130 to Bill 68
Date: Thursday, June 14, 2018
Time: 1:00pm - 2:00 PM
Location: SSC 4255

POSTER

Map: http://www.localgovernment.uwo.ca/about_us/location.html
Floorplan: http://www.ssc.uwo.ca/PDF_folder/SSC_Floor_Plan/web_Level_4_new2.pdf

Due to the significant interest in this session we did make arrangements to have it recorded. The regular equipment was not available so the sound and video quality are lower than what is normal used.

To watch online:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zp827hU-8rQ


Speaker: Andrew Sancton, Professor Emeritus, Western
Topic:
 Towns Without Municipal Governments: Representing Ontario 'Population Centres' on the World Wide Web
Date: 
Wednesday, March 21, 2018
Time: 
1:15 PM - 2:15 PM
Location: 
SSC 4225
This talk is open to the public; light refreshments will be served.

POSTER

Or please join us online:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUGWa8aoXHVoS8VM51IdJEA
(videos are live and will also be available for viewing after the event)
If you would like to ask a question remotely, you can send us a Tweet during the event @westernuLGP #LGSS2018


Speaker: Bill Irwin, Local Government Professor, Western
Topic:
School Closures in Ontario: A Case of Conflicting Values
Date:
Wednesday, November 22, 2017
Time:
 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Location: 
SSC 5220
Light refreshments will be provided.

POSTER

Or please join us online:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPIgbybui2c
(this video will be live and also available for viewing after the event)
If you would like to ask a question remotely, you can send us a Tweet during the event @westernuLGP #LGSS2017


Speaker: Zachary Spicer, Local Government Program Professor, Western
Topic: 
Global Cities, Local Disruption: Uber's Path to Regulatory Approval in Ten North American Cities
Date: 
Friday, October 13, 2017
Time:
 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Location: 
SSC 4255
Light refreshments will be provided.

POSTER

Or please join us online: 
The link to the livestream is now:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzv-bgGHnVA

(this video will be live and also available for viewing after the event)
If you would like to ask a question remotely, you can send us a Tweet during the event @westernuLGP #LGSS2017


2016-2017 Seminars

Speaker: Carol Agocs, Professor Emerita, Political Science, Western
Topic: 
Competing Models of Local Governance: A Toronto Case
Date: 
Friday, March 31, 2017
Time:
 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Location: 
SSC 4255
Light refreshments will be provided.

POSTER


Speaker: Benoy Jacob, Professor, Urban Leadership Program, University of Nevada Las Vegas
Topic: 
Urban Leadership in the Era of Bottom up Federalsim
Date: 
Friday, February 10, 2017
Time:
 12:00 PM - 1:30 PM
Location: 
SSC 4255
Light refreshments will be provided.

POSTER 


 Speaker: Zack Taylor, Assistant Professor, Political Science, Western
Topic: 
Governance Quality at the Local Level: Meaning and Measurement
Date: 
Friday, November 18, 2016
Time:
 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Location: 
SSC 4255
Light refreshments will be provided.

POSTER


Speaker: Lee Anne Doyle, Former Chief Building Official, City of Windsor
Topic: 
A Leadership Tool Box For Public Sector Administrators
Date: 
Wednesday, October 5, 2016
Time:
 11:45 AM - 12:45 PM
Location: 
SSC 9420
Light refreshments will be provided.

POSTER


2015-2016 Seminars

Speaker: Dan Mathieson, Distinguished Practitioner in Residence, Western University Local Government, Program, Four-term Mayor of Stratford, ON and the current Chair of the Board of Governors at King's University College
Topic: 
City and University: Building a Healthy Relationship
Date: 
Wednesday, March 23, 2016
Time:
 11:45 AM - 12:45 PM
Location: 
SSC 4161
The talk is open to the public.  Bring your lunch.  Light refreshments will be provided.

POSTER


2014-2015 Seminars

Speakers: Robert Young, Canada Research Chair, Multilevel Governance & Professor, Political Science, Western University
Topic:
Multilevel Governance in Canada: What Do We Know?
Date:
April 15, 2015
Time:
11:45 AM - 12:45 PM
Location:
SSC 4161
Light snacks and refreshments will be provided.

POSTER


Speakers: Stephen Turner, Ward 11 Councillor, City of London
                 Jared Zaifman, Ward 14 Councillor, City of London   
Topic:
Governing London: A City in Transition
Date:
March 4, 2015
Time:
11:45 AM - 12:45 PM
Location:
SSC 4161
Light snacks and refreshments will be provided.

POSTER


Speaker: Joni Baechler, Distinguished Practitioner in Residence, Western University Local Government Program, Former Mayor and Councillor of the City of London
Topic: 25%: A Documentary (film screening and discussion on young women's participation in politics)
Date: February 11, 2015
Time: 12:00 noon - 1:30 PM
Location: SSC 9420

POSTER


Speaker: Annika Hinze, Political Science, Fordham University
Topic: The Second Generation in Berlin and Instanbul: Turk-Germans Seek Their (Urban) Identity
Date: November 19, 2014
Time: 11:45 - 12:45 PM
Location: SSC 4161

POSTER


Speaker: Andrew Sancton, Political Science, Western University
Topic: The Ontario Ombudsman and Open Municipal Meetings
Date: October 29, 2014
Time: 11:45 - 12:45 PM
Location: SSC 4161


Speaker(s): Mat Daley, Kate Graham and Rosanna Wilcox, City of London
Topic: Local Government and Big Data: Opportunities and Challenges
Date: October 8, 2014
Time: 11:45 - 12:45 PM
Location: SSC 4161


Past Seminars

Speaker: Tim Cobban and Kate Graham, Political Science, Western University
Topic: Did the Common Sense Revolution Reduce the Size of Municipal Government in Ontario?
Date: October 2, 2013
Time: 11:30 - 12:45 PM
Location: SSC 4161


Speaker: Ron Vogel, Politics & Public Administration, Ryerson University
Topic: Toronto's Governance Crisis: A Global City Under Pressure
Date: October 23, 2013
Time: 11:30 - 12:45 PM
Location: SSC 4161


Speaker: Andrew Sancton, Political Science, Western University
Topic: What can Montreal Learn from the Greater London Authority
Date: December 4, 2013
Time: 11:30 - 12:45 PM
Location: SSC 4161


Speaker: David Siegel, Professor, Political Science, Brock University
Topic: Leaders in the Shadows: The Leadership Qualities of Municipal Chief Administrative Officers
Date: February 26, 2014
Time: 11:30 - 12:45 PM
Location: SSC 4161
A Light Lunch will be Provided.


Speaker: Jennifer Smout, Solicitor, City of London
Topic: Recent Critical Cases in Municipal Law
Date: March 26, 2014
Time: 11:30 - 12:45 PM
Location: SSC 4161
A Light Lunch will be Provided.


Speaker: Daniel Henstra, Associate Professor, University of Waterloo
Topic: Climate Change, Extreme Weather and Canadian Cities: Analyzing Urban Adaptation Policy
Date: April 16, 2014
Time: 11:30 - 12:45 PM
Location: SSC 4161
A Light Lunch will be Provided.


Speaker: Mat Daley, Investment and Partnerships, City of London
Topic: Local Govenments and Big Data
Date: May 14, 2014 (Postponed until the Fall 2014)
Time: TBA
Location: TBA


Speaker: Alexander Larichev, Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Political Science, Western University, 2012-2013; Assistant Professor, Petrozavodsk State University, Russia.
Topic: Local Government as a Legal Concept: The Anglo-Saxon and the Continental European Approaches
Date: April 24, 2013
Time: 11:30 - 12:45 PM


Speaker: Aaron A. Moore, Institute for Municipal Finance and Governance, University of Toronto
Topic: Same Tool, Different Use; Explaining Variation in Density for Benefits Agreements in Toronto and Vancouver
Date: April 11, 2013
Time: 11:30 - 12:45 PM


Speaker: Leonid Kosals, Professor of Sociology, Moscow Higher School of Economics
Topic: Pecularities of Russian Urbanism - The Case of Moscow Amalgamation
Date: February 27, 2013
Time: 11:30 - 1:00 PM


Speaker: Gabriel Eidelman, Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Political Science, Western University
Topic: When Public Assets Become Public Liabilities: The Curious Case of Toronto's Waterfront
Date: January 23, 2013
Time: 11:30 - 12:45 PM


Speaker: Joel Thibert, Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University
Topic: The Role of Provincial and State Governments in Promoting Regional Governance in Canada and the US: A Cause of Pessimisn?
Date: November 28, 2012
Time: 11:30 - 12:45 PM


Speaker: Martin Horak, Director, Local Government Program, Western University
Topic: The Limits of Local Redistribution Neighbourhood Regeneration in Toronto and Phoenix
Date: October 31, 2012
Time: 11:30 - 12:45 PM


Speaker: Neil Bradford, Political Science, Huron University College, Western University & Andrew Sancton, Professor, Department of Political Science, Western University
Topic: Do Local Public Policies Matter? The Social and Economic Impact of Local Governance
Date: October 3, 2012
Time: 11:30 - 12:45 PM