History – A Solid Foundation
Since being founded as the Toronto City Summit Alliance in 2002, CivicAction has provided a neutral platform for collaboration and leadership focused on improving our region’s social, economic and environmental future. In 2003, we kicked things off with, Enough Talk: An Action Plan for the Toronto Region, and since then have focused on issues where there is a clear consensus for action and where progress can be made quickly.
“CivicAction and its one-of-a-kind model has the ability to rally diverse perspectives and experiences around a common goal. It convenes with intention, and that intention is action.”
Peter Sloly, CivicAction Board of Directors; Partner – Risk Advisory, Cyber, National Lead – Security and Justice, Deloitte
Visit our Reports page for examples of how we’ve driven real progress on pressing issues, and see our Timeline below for a snapshot of our impacts to date.
Our Approach
Every four years, we host a regional summit where we convene hundreds of city builders and leaders from across the region and all sectors to draw attention to critical challenges and opportunities and to reset our civic agenda.
To date, we have engaged more than 7000 people in our work. A great many more have been impacted by our current initiatives, and other initiatives born out of our past Greater Toronto Summits. Over the years, we have also engaged some of our region’s most impactful leaders to help us set and execute our agenda. See who they are here.
“Toronto’s gift to the world could be this unique and powerful model of city-building that comes from collective leadership.”
David Pecaut, CivicAction Founder, 2009
Tribute to Our Founding Chair
David Pecaut (1955-2009) was the driving force and founding chair of our organization. A senior partner of The Boston Consulting Group, he was an extraordinary civic entrepreneur and visionary. He had a powerful talent for convening people from widely varying perspectives and backgrounds and working with them to build consensus and collaborate to achieve bold city-building goals.
David created and led a 40-leader Steering Committee to take a more detailed look at the challenges facing our region, resulting in the 2003 report, Enough Talk: An Action Plan for the Toronto Region and leading to the creation of this unique and enduring civic leadership organization.
David taught us civic responsibility and engagement, showing time and again how much can be achieved when energetic and passionate people like him come together to create and pursue big ideas. Before his passing, he shared his inspiring vision of collective leadership and city-building to ensure the future success of the Toronto region. Read David’s love letter to Toronto. To find out more about David, see our leadership spotlight on him here, and read Eleven Out of Ten: The Life and Work of David Pecaut – a memoir authored by Helen Burstyn.
“Between the idea and the reality falls CivicAction – mobilizing minds, partners and people to solve our region’s pressures.”
Daniele Zanotti, CivicAction Board of Directors; President and CEO, United Way Toronto and York Region