A leading expert on urban issues and a passionate advocate for the concerns of cities, Layton will speak about the challenges that come with the demographic and economic reality that 80 per cent of Canadians live in cities.

Layton served for six terms as a Toronto city councilor and led the Federation of Canadian Municipalities before becoming leader of Canada’s NDP in 2003. He studied foreign investment and public policy at York University, earning a PhD in 1984, and has taught at three universities.

As a Toronto councilor, Layton spearheaded a number of innovative public projects, including: Canada’s first municipally-sponsored AIDS strategy; the Healthy Cities model, adopted by the World Health Organization; and an urban wind turbine. As head of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, he launched the Green Infrastructure Fund to help cities clean up their air and water and championed innovative ideas on how to address homelessness.

WHO: Federal NDP leader Jack Layton

WHAT: “Canada’s Urban Future” address

WHEN: Friday, October 19, 2007, 1 – 2:30 pm   

WHERE: York University Senate Chamber, Keele campus, 940 Ross Bldg. North

    Building #28 on Map

York University is the leading interdisciplinary research and teaching university in Canada. York offers a modern, academic experience at the undergraduate and graduate level in Toronto, Canada’s most international city. The third largest university in the country, York is host to a dynamic academic community of 50,000 students and 7,000 faculty and staff, as well as 200,000 alumni worldwide. York’s 11 faculties and 24 research centres conduct ambitious, groundbreaking research that is interdisciplinary, cutting across traditional academic boundaries. This distinctive and collaborative approach is preparing students for the future and bringing fresh insights and solutions to real-world challenges. York University is an autonomous, not-for-profit corporation.

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Media contacts:

Dave Weatherall, NDP Media Officer 613 295 6826 or dave@ndp.ca