programmes for roads, housing and police set to expire in 2014. In its budget this week the government promised to do so.

Businessmen are starting to worry about urban neglect. The Toronto Board of Trade, a business lobby, recently criticised traffic congestion in the city; it is backing a C$50 billion plan to expand roads and public transport in the Toronto-Hamilton conurbation over the next 25 years.

If federal politicians have hitherto largely ignored this festering urban problem, that may be in part because rural areas continue to be over-represented in the House of Commons. But four out of every five Canadians now live in a city, and most economic activity takes place in them. Unless they receive the public investment they need, Canadian cities will slowly become less desirablerelate. Some of those stories are heartbreaking. And for me, if I could, I'd send every kid who reaches out to college."

Celene Bolanos grew up in the Bay Area as a casual 49ers fan. Her brother and father were more passionate supporters of the team, but she enjoyed watching San Francisco play on Sundays.

As a senior in 2014 at Aragon High School in San Mateo, Calif., Bolanos received an acceptance letter from UC-Berkeley – her dream college. She didn't know how she would pay for her education with so many expenses in addition to tuition like food, housing and books.