Assistant Professor of Human Geography & City Studies, University of Toronto
Alexandra Flynn is an Assistant Professor in the City Studies program at the University of Toronto (Scarborough). She teaches and researches in the areas of urban governance and local government law. Her dissertation project, Reimagining Local Governance: The Landscape of “Local” in Toronto (2017), examined Toronto’s complex local governance model along with its motley of institutions – some granted delegated authority and some not. Her current project focuses on Indigenous-municipal relationships in the land use planning process. In 2017, she received a SSHRC Insight Development Grant to investigate the notion of a “municipal duty to consult” and its potential for reciprocal, respectful relationships between Indigenous and municipal governments. In addition to her academic work, Alexandra has over ten years of experience as a lawyer in Vancouver representing First Nations and as a senior policy official at the City of Toronto where she focused on intergovernmental relations. She has a long history of volunteering with organizations focused on homelessness and access to justice.
Let Indigenous treaties -- not the duty to consult -- lead us to reconciliation
Oct 30, 2018 12:36 pm UTC| Insights & Views Politics Law
Should governments have a duty to consult First Nations when they craft laws affecting Indigenous and treaty rights? The Mikisew Cree First Nation recently argued yes, that the duty to consult should apply to...
Toronto must keep fighting Doug Ford -- for the good of democracy
Oct 04, 2018 15:42 pm UTC| Insights & Views Politics
After the Ontario Court of Appeal recently ruled that Torontos upcoming municipal election would go ahead with 25 wards instead of 47, the province turned its attention to the citys waterfront. Theres speculation...
Johannesburg in a time of darkness: Ivan Vladislavić’s new memoir reminds us of the city’s fragility
Economist Chris Richardson on an ‘ugly’ inflation result and the coming budget
Labour can afford to be far more ambitious with its economic policies – voters are on board
Sudan: civil war stretches into a second year with no end in sight