After years of practicing corporate finance and Aboriginal law, as well as undertaking a role as a senior policy official, Dr. Alexandra Flynn found her passion in research and teaching, first as an assistant professor in the City Studies program at the University of Toronto (Scarborough) and now as an assistant professor at the Allard School of Law.
What made you decide to enter academia?
I worked for many years as a corporate finance and Aboriginal lawyer, and as a senior policy official, on exciting and important projects Iike treaty and land use negotiations, and amending municipal legislation. Throughout this period, I kept a foot in the academic door, completing a LLM at UC Berkeley, and teaching property and urban law as an adjunct professor at Osgoode Hall Law School. At some point, I had the chance to do a doctorate and jumped on it, thinking it would be much easier than it actually was! But once there, I fell in love with academia. I was able to deep-dive into projects that really mattered to me and which build on my knowledge from legal practice. Now, I am researching urban challenges that are playing out in real time, while teaching clever students and working with incredible colleagues. After many zig-zaggy career twists, I know that I have found my dream job.
What sparked your interest in municipal law and governance?
I believe that local legal issues are incredibly important, yet receive so little attention within legal scholarship. Areas like land development and the governance of neighbourhoods may seem mundane, but to me raise crucial questions related to democratic decision-making, the rights of First Nations, the constitutional status of municipalities, and how community boundaries are drawn and defended. There are a handful of academics around the world focusing on these questions, and it is hugely fulfilling to be a part of this warm and rich scholarly community.
What is a recent project you worked on that you would like to highlight?
I am currently working on a project looking at the legal relationships between First Nations and municipalities. We do not yet have a Supreme Court of Canada decision that has solidified whether local governments have a duty to consult and accommodate, as provincial and federal governments do. At the same time, Indigenous communities and municipalities have long had legal relationships. This project focuses in particular on Indigenous-municipal relationships in Toronto. I am very fortunate to be working with Doug Anderson, a Métis scholar and civil servant who has been working on Indigenous-led governance of park space along the Humber River, and with an organization that provides educational resources for First Nations and municipal planners.
Tell us about your involvement in the Smart Cities development in Toronto
I moved to Vancouver from Toronto in Summer 2019, where I had been working as a professor in the University of Toronto’s City Studies program. While I was there, in 2017, a tripartite agency called Waterfront Toronto announced that it had entered into an agreement with Google-sister company, Sidewalk Labs, to create a smart city along a stretch of the city’s waterfront. The agreement came as a surprise to many, as there had been no prior consultation with residents, vetting by any government, nor public release of the agreement. My colleague, Mariana Valverde, and I wondered about the powers of Waterfront Toronto and local administrative agencies more generally, including what kinds of agreements they are allowed to make and to whom they are accountable. We have published a number of articles on the subject and have a forthcoming book on the governance of other smart cities. When I find the time, I plan to ask similar questions of accountability and transparency concerning the administrative agency that governs Granville Island.
You can reach Dr. Flynn via email at flynn@allard.ubc.ca or follow her on Twitter @alexandraeflynn
Last Updated: May 2019