From tackling the "transportation crisis," to properly tapping into the skills of newcomers, a new report calls for action on major issues critical to the prosperity of the Toronto region. Breaking Boundaries, Time to Think and Act Like a Region distills the fruits of a two-day summit hosted by CivicAction, a coalition of city builders whose mission is "to gather people around the table." John Tory, chairman of CivicAction, said, "What we heard from the people at the summit, because they came to a much greater extent this time from the region, as opposed to the city, was that economic development, attracting industry, attracting jobs, building up our areas of strength economically is a shared regional concern that actually, in reality, is going to happen on a regional basis." The Post's Natalie Alcoba details the four key focus areas and some recommendations for action.

ECONOMY

Despite major commercial advantages, the Greater Toronto region has a relatively high jobless rate of 8.5%, and its annual economic growth is projected to stagnate at 2% a year.Recommendation: Boost regional economic co-operation, promote industries with promise and build a unique regional brand with ambassadors. CivicAction has partnered with the Toronto Board of Trade and other groups to facilitate co-operation.

JOBS & INCOME

10.3% of residents in the region live in poverty; one in four in the city of Toronto Recommendation: Governments must better tackle labour-market development and income assistance, and launch a major campaign that educates the public about unemployment, poverty and "income inequality." CivicAction and the United Way will establish a business panel to discuss the Social Assistance Review Commission.

TRANSIT

"There is no way to sugar-coat our transportation crisis," the report says, noting that the cost of congestion will soar (to $15-billion from $6-billion a year by 2030) and air quality will deteriorate if transit and transportation investments are not made. Recommendation: Governments should study and commit to long-term funding sources. Everything from parking levies to regional sales taxes to road pricing should be on the table. CivicAction will take a lead role to "broaden public and political support" for funding a regional transportation plan.

IMMIGRATION

Despite its reputation for being an immigrant magnet, the Toronto region has welcome 17% fewer newcomers in the past decade, and they usually earn much less than Canadian-born workers. Recommendation: Governments have to work better to attract and settle immigrants, and provide "adequate and predictable" funding for settlement services. CivicAction will work to improve coordination between government, business and service providers.