On the other hand, there are those gaps. Some of the data we do have may be open to challenge: 89 per cent of Toronto’s roads are in good condition? And a number of other standard indicators remain on our wish list, especially in the effectiveness department: for example, the percentage of council meetings with all councillors present. Police response times to emergencies. Number of days it takes to fix a pothole. We hope to include some of these in future instalments.
But in a way, it shouldn’t be up to us. For that matter, it shouldn’t be up to the cities, each releasing different bits of data as it sees fit. These are the sorts of basic indicators that all cities should be providing their citizens, as a matter of course. Though Canada is hardly alone for sparseness in the data we collect and publish on city governments, we are far behind countries like New Zealand or the United Kingdom, where reporting is mandatory across a broad range of categories.
Should other provinces follow Ontario’s lead? Is there a role for the federal government in setting compatible standards of reporting? Let the debate—and the bragging, complaining, and explaining away—begin.
