It is primarily a matter of culture and awareness. Elected officials and decision-makers at all levels must also have a solid understanding of what is currently happening in urban environments. It is also a matter of strategy or tactics. We want to move forward, develop economically, be competitive and attract businesses. Understanding the dynamics involved is important. To that I would add—and this goes for all major Canadian cities—a role with a strong focus on disseminating information, and stimulating knowledge sharing and good practices throughout major cities. All that is related to the first level.
At the second level, it wouldn't be a bad idea to have integrated policies. At some point, we had a department of urban affairs, which I worked with. That department handled transportation issues. It provided people with policies to guide them. It was an additional element, but, at the same time, it provided people with ideas. I'm not saying that another department should be created—quite the contrary—but we could have some policies with a number of shared objectives, whereby cities would consider things in a similar way.
That would require funding. You talked about dedicated funds. I believe in dedicated funds. They are a lot more effective. I believe in dedicated funds with performance indicators and set targets. If we make a mistake, we can readjust. That may be the most effective approach.