About the Barometer

More than ever, Canadian municipal researchers and practitioners need reliable data on municipal policy preferences, local democratic engagement, and practical solutions to shared democratic challenges.

Established in 2019, the Canadian Municipal Barometer is co-led by Prof. Jack Lucas (University of Calgary) and Prof. Sandra Breux (INRS), and now includes more than twenty-five researchers and eight scientific advisors across Canada and the world.

Co-directors

Lead and oversee all aspects of the Barometer partnership, assisted by a partnership coordinator based at the University of Calgary.

Sandra Breux

INRS
Sandra Breux is the Canada Research Chair in Municipal Elections and professor at the Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique. Her research is focused on municipal democracy, voters and elected officials. Contact Sandra.

Jack Lucas

University of Calgary
Jack Lucas is a Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Calgary. His research is focused on municipal democracy, voting behaviour, political representation, and public opinion. Contact Jack.

Reed Merrill

University of Calgary
Reed Merrill is the Canadian Municipal Barometer’s Partnership Coordinator. His role includes coding surveys, overseeing data collection and data management, managing finances, and facilitating knowledge mobilization initiatives. Contact Reed.

Scientific Steering Committee

Manage the data collection process. Includes project co-directors, research pillar leads, a knowledge mobilization lead, and postdoctoral fellows.

Audrey Brennan

INRS
Audrey Brennan is a Canadian Municipal Barometer postdoctoral fellow, based out of the Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique. Her research is focused on municipal democracy, political parties, electoral institutions, and representation. Contact Audrey.

Gabriel Eidelman

University of Toronto
Gabriel Eidelman is the Canadian Municipal Barometer’s Knowledge Mobilization Lead. He is Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream, and Director of the Urban Policy Lab at the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, with a joint appointment at the Institute for Management and Innovation. His award-winning teaching and research focus on urban governance and intergovernmental relations in Canada. He is part of the Multilevel Governance research Pillar. Contact Gabriel.

Kristin Good

Dalhousie University
Kristin Good is the Canadian Municipal Barometer’s Multilevel Governance Pillar Lead, and is Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at Dalhousie University with a cross-appointment to the Law, Justice and Society program. She has done groundbreaking research on the multilevel governance of immigration and the constitutional status of Canadian municipalities. Contact Kristin.

Martin Horak

Western University
Martin Horak is the Canadian Municipal Barometer’s Public Policy Pillar Lead, and is an Associate Professor at the Centre for Urban Policy and Local Governance at the University of Western Ontario. His research is focused on the dynamics of municipal policy-making, democracy, and multilevel governance. Contact Martin.

Michael McGregor

Toronto Metropolitan University
Michael McGregor is the Canadian Municipal Barometer’s Elections and Voting Pillar Lead and is Associate Professor in the Department of Politics and Public Administration at Toronto Metropolitan University. He is an expert on municipal elections and has conducted research on a variety of topics related to the attitudes, motivations, and behaviours of voters and non-voters in Canada. Contact Michael.

Nicole McMahon

University of Calgary
Nicole McMahon is a Canadian Municipal Barometer postdoctoral fellow, based out of the University of Calgary. Her research is focused on LGBTQ+ politics, political representation, and public policy. Contact Nicole.

Erin Tolley

Carleton University
Erin Tolley is the Canadian Municipal Barometer’s Diverse Representation Pillar Lead and the Canada Research Chair in Gender, Race, and Inclusive Politics at Carleton University. Her award-winning research examines the link between socio-demographic diversity and Canadian politics, with a specific focus on gender, race, and elected institutions. Contact Erin.

Research Team

Design and carry out Barometer projects. Includes both academic and non-academic researchers from partner institutions.

Tari Ajadi

McGill University
Tari Ajadi is an assistant professor of political science at McGill University. He engages in research and public activism in the areas of municipal social movements and policy change with a focus on policing and health policy. He is part of our Diverse Representation research Pillar. Contact Tari.

Dave Armstrong

Western University
Dave Armstrong is a professor at Western University’s department of Political Science and Canada Research Chair in Political Methodology. He is a global leader in statistical analysis and data science. His research includes measurement and latent trait estimation, the role of non-linearity, and data mining techniques. Contact Dave.

Amanda Bittner

Memorial University
Amanda Bittner is a professor of political science at Memorial University. She is a leading scholar of political leadership, gender, and voting behaviour, especially in the areas of representation and mayoral leadership. She is part of our Diverse Representation research Pillar. Contact Amanda.

Sophie Borwein

University of British Columbia
Sophie Borwein is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of British Columbia. She is interested in the politics of place, the political consequences of technological change, and political behaviour. She is part of our Elections and Voting research Pillar. Contact Sophie.

Charles Breton

IRPP
Charles Breton is Executive Director of the Institute for Research on Public Policy’s Centre of Excellence on the Canadian Federation. He has expertise in intergovernmental relations and public opinion, and deep knowledge of survey data collection and analysis. He is part of our Public Policy research Pillar.

Chadwick Cowie

University of Toronto
Chadwick Cowie is an assistant professor of political science at the (University of Toronto (St. George and Scarborough Campuses). He is a scholar of Canadian politics, Indigenous-settler relations, and Indigenous political participation. He is a member of the Michi Saagiig Nishnaabeg community of Pamitaashkodeyong and is an expert in Indigenous-engaged research. He is part of our Multilevel Governance research Pillar. Contact Chadwick.

Sabreena Delhon

Samara Centre for Democracy
Sabreena Delhon is the Chief Executive Officer of the Samara Centre for Democracy and host of Humans of the House, a podcast that explores the lived experience of former Members of Parliament. She is part of our Diverse Representation research Pillar.

Meghan Joy

Concordia University
Meghan Joy is an associate professor of political science at Concordia University. Their expertise is urban policy and politics, with a focus on inclusive and age-friendly policy. They are part of our Public Policy research Pillar. Contact Meghan.

Stewart McDonough

Assoc. of Municipalities of Ontario
Stewart McDonough is the Municipal Engagement Advisor at the Association of Municipalities of Ontario where he leads AMO’s Healthy Democracy Project working with local elected officials and partners to improve democratic engagement and political participation across Ontario municipalities. He is part of our Elections and Voting research Pillar.

Anne Mévellec

University of Ottawa
Anne Mévellec is a professor of political science at the University of Ottawa. She is an established scholar of municipal politics, with expertise in gender diversity, political parties, and municipal politics and focuses on institutions and their consequences for democracy and representation. She is part of our Diverse Representation research Pillar. Contact Anne.

Aaron Moore

University of Winnipeg
Aaron Moore is a professor of political science at the University of Winnipeg. He researches planning, local economic development, and the connections between municipal policy and local elections. He is part of our Public Policy research Pillar. Contact Aaron.

Matthew Pelletier

Federation of Canadian Municipalities
Matthew Pelletier is a Policy and Data Advisor at the Federation of Canadian Municipalities. His work focuses on democratically representative multilevel governance, especially in the areas of infrastructure, transportation, and housing. He is part of our Multilevel Governance research Pillar.

Scott Pruysers

Dalhousie University
Scott Pruysers is an associate professor of political science at Dalhousie University. He is a scholar of political parties and elections, with a focus on political psychology. He is part of our Elections and Voting research Pillar. Contact Scott.

Alison Smith

University of Toronto
Alison Smith is an associate professor of political science at the University of Toronto Mississauga. She is a specialist in the multilevel governance of social policy, with a particular focus on homelessness and housing policy. She is part of our Multilevel Governance research Pillar. Contact Alison.

Gregory Spencer

Canadian Urban Institute
Gregory Spencer is the Director of Research at the Canadian Urban Institute, and has expertise in housing and urban design. He is part of our Public Policy research Pillar.

Zac Spicer

York University
Zac Spicer is an associate professor at York University’s School of Public Policy and Administration. He is an expert in intermunicipal collaboration and innovation. He is part of our Multilevel Governance research Pillar. Contact Zac.

Zack Taylor

Western University
Zack Taylor is an associate professor of political science at Western University, where he has special teaching responsibilities in the graduate Local Government Program. He teaches and researches on comparative multi-level urban governance, urban political economy, and urban and regional planning, and pursues parallel interests in applying geospatial analysis and the historical census in political science. He is part of our Public Policy research Pillar. Contact Zack.

Beatrice Wayne

Samara Centre for Democracy
Beatrice Wayne is the Research Director at the Samara Centre for Democracy. In this role, she leads diverse mixed-methods research projects focused on building a more responsive political landscape in Canada. Her work is dedicated to advancing a vibrant culture of civic engagement across Canada. He is part of our Elections and Voting research Pillar.

Advisory Committee

Distinguished scholars who provide advice to the partnership.

Julie-Anne Boudreau

UNAM
Julie-Anne Boudreau is a professor at the Institute of Geography of the National Autonomous University of Mexico, and her work focuses on youth practices and political action in cities such as Montreal and Mexico City.

Peter Loewen

Cornell University
Peter Loewen is the Harold Tanner Dean of the College of Arts and Science at Cornell University and a Professor at the Department of Government. He is the director of numerous Canadian and comparative research projects on political elites at all levels of government, and has published widely on elite political behaviour, political representation, and public policy.

Laura Stephenson

Western University
Laura Stephenson is a Professor of Political Science at Western Ontario University and Principal Investigator for the Consortium on Electoral Democracy (C-Dem), a major research partnership on Canadian electoral democracy. She specializes in political behaviour, both Canadian and comparative.

Stefaan Walgrave

University of Antwerp
Stefaan Walgrave is a Research Professor at the University of Antwerp, where he directs POLPOP, a major international comparative study of national and regional politicians. His research is focused on public policy agendas, media and politics, and politician representation.

International Collaboration Committee

Leading international scholars of municipal democracy and representation who advise on further collaboration opportunities.

Katherine Einstein

Boston University
Katherine Levine Einstein is an Associate Professor of Political Science at Boston University. Her research is focused on local and urban politics with a particular focus on housing policy, local public engagement processes, and political representation. She is one of the leaders of the Menino Survey of Mayors, a 10-year survey of mayors in the United States administered by Boston University’s Initiative on Cities.

Nathalie Giger

University of Geneva
Nathalie Giger is an Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Geneva. Her research is focused on citizens and elite political behaviour and political representation, both comparatively and in Switzerland.

Miguel Pereira

London School of Economics
Miguel Pereira is an Assistant Professor of European Politics at the London School of economics. His research is focused on elite political behaviour, at the national, regional, and local levels, with a particular focus on inequality, gender and politics, and policy diffusion.

Lior Sheffer

Tel Aviv University
Lior Sheffer is a Senior Lecturer of Political Science at the Tel Aviv University. His research is focused on elite political behaviour, looking at whether and how elected officials differ from non-politicians when they solve problems and reason about the policy choices they have to make, and how this affects the quality of representation in democracies.

Staff

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