NEWS RELEASE
CITY OF GUELPH
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The City of Guelph released “Navigating the sharing economy: A 6-decision guide for municipalities” in Ottawa at the Association of Municipalities Ontario annual conference.
“Many of the opportunities and issues associated with the sharing economy fall within the purview of municipal government,” said Guelph Mayor Cam Guthrie.
“I’m proud of the leading role Guelph has played in creating a tool that will help local councils and communities analyze the impact of various sharing economy services on their own residents and businesses so they can make decisions based on local needs.”
“Sharing economy initiatives are being shaped by zoning codes, hotel and taxi licensing regulations, transit and all manner of distinctly local policy,” said the City of Guelph’s chief administrative officer, Derrick Thomson. “The Guide is designed to help municipalities understand this new economy, what it means on a local level and how to respond appropriately.”
The Guide provides a brief introduction to the sharing economy and then identifies the following six decisions to guide municipalities that are anticipating or reacting to a shared economy platform in their jurisdiction.
- What type of approach is most appropriate?
- What are the primary public policy goals?
- What type(s) of sharing will be included?
- What kinds of policy actions or tools are needed?
- Design considerations
- Implementation and evaluation
The Guide includes case study examples to illustrate different ways municipalities have answered these questions, along with links to further reading materials, resources and cases.
The Guide was commissioned by the Large Urban Mayors’ Caucus of Ontario, financially supported by the Province of Ontario and developed in collaboration with the Guelph Lab—a partnership between the City of Guelph and the University of Guelph.
A variety of other partners including the Guelph Chamber of Commerce and the municipalities of London and Mississauga contributed to the Guide.
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