This article was originally a Walrus Talk presented at the Federation of Canadian Municipalities conference in Quebec City, Que. The speech has been expanded in order to deeper explore the concepts and themes presented. You can watch a condensed version of the talk here .

Conversations on matters of municipal governance, autonomy and local power have found their way back into mainstream politics specifically, on the need to empower municipal governments to better address the needs of their cities. But as conversations coalesce around the need for stronger federal-municipal partnerships , little focus has been put on the people of these cities their experiences and stories and how government impacts their lives.

The path forward is connecting peoples stories and how cities govern themselves.