Power and Purpose: The Quiet Evolution of Canadian Municipal Law
Local government is a vital component of Canada’s multi-level democracy, giving voice to the needs, aspirations, and priorities of local communities and shaping the environments in which we live. Over the past four decades, the role of municipalities has evolved significantly. Provincial and territorial governments have expanded the scope of municipal legal authority through revisions to general municipal legislation and the adoption of special statutes for major cities.
In a new paper for the Institute on Municipal Finance and Governance (IMFG), Zack Taylor, Craig Mutter, Joseph Lyons, and Alex Dobson update IMFG’s Power and Purpose: Canadian Municipal Law in Transition (2020), providing an accessible and systematic comparative overview of municipal authority and responsibilities across all ten provinces and three territories. The authors find that while the general trend has been toward more permissive authority and the recognition of municipalities as democratic and accountable governments, significant variation persists in both law and practice across - and within - provinces and territories.