David Amborski is a Professor at Ryerson University’s School of Urban and Regional Planning, and a professional urban planner. He holds graduate degrees in both Urban and Regional Planning and Economics. He is the founding Director of the Centre for Urban Research and Land Development (CUR) and was the founding Academic Director of the City Building Institute, both at Ryerson University. His research and consulting work explore topics where urban planning interacts with economics including land and housing markets. His specific interests include the area of municipal finance, land development, housing, and land value capture tools. Amborski has served as President of the Association of Canadian Urban Planning Programs, is an Academic Advisor to the National Executive Forum on Public Property and is a member of Lambda Alpha (Honourary Land Economics Society). He has undertaken studies for the Federal, Provincial and a range of municipal governments. His recent consulting work includes an evaluation of the financing for the Smart Track financing for the City of Toronto, studying the building permit process across Canada for Infrastructure Canada, and he is currently working with MPAC on how to put a planning lens on the property tax assessment process.

A recognized expert in municipal finance, Adam Found holds a PhD in economics from the University of Toronto and a Professional Land Economist designation from the Association of Ontario Land Economists. He has written several peer-reviewed publications and engaged media on such topics as property taxation, development charges, tax increment financing, municipal governance, and business tax competitiveness. As Manager of Corporate Assets at the City of Kawartha Lakes, Adam oversees the City’s capital planning, capital budgeting, and development charges portfolios, and in 2023 he was elected to serve as Vice President and President of the Municipal Finance Officers’ Association of Ontario for 2024 and 2025, respectively. He is also a Research Fellow at the C.D. Howe Institute, a part-time faculty member at Trent University’s Department of Economics, and a public finance consultant specializing in municipal finance. As a professional economist and an advocate for municipalities’ autonomy and self-reliance, Adam continues to work in the public finance field through the municipal, academic, public policy, and consulting sectors.