Why Guelph and Toronto?
What conditions enabled these initiatives to emerge in Guelph and Toronto? Probably the most important condition was experienced leadership from within the government. In both cases, a few enthusiastic and committed bureaucrats (not politicians) made participatory budgeting happen. Since they were out of the political spotlight and able to work relatively autonomously, it was easier for these staff leaders to develop new budget processes. The budget processes were able to grow when politicians were looking the other way. In Guelph, politicians only began to take notice of the Coalition after several years. Toronto politicians have paid little attention to the TCH Tenant Participation System. This contrasts sharply with experiences in Latin America, where Socialist and Workers Party leaders have often initiated participatory budgeting. In Canada, however, where radical leftists are not in power, it seems that participatory budgeting is more likely to emerge when politicians are not high
