Every municipality wants to deliver great services, support its community, and make thoughtful decisions about the future. But with limited resources and growing demands, how do we make sure our budgets are actually supporting what matters most? That’s where priority-based budgeting comes in. Rather than starting with last year’s budget and making small adjustments, priority-based budgeting starts with a more important question: What are our priorities, and how can we make su

In local government, there is often an assumption that political careers move in one direction. A resident runs for council. A councillor becomes deputy mayor. Eventually, that person may seek election as mayor, or reeve, or warden. The progression seems pretty straightforward. What is less common, and often more surprising, is when a sitting mayor decides to run for council in the next election instead of seeking another term as mayor. From time to time though, this is exact

Most local government councils invest significant time and energy into developing strategic plans. Council members participate in workshops, administration gathers input, community priorities are discussed, and eventually a document emerges that outlines where the municipality wants to go over the next generation based on the work the current council either starts or continues from previous councils. The challenge, however, is not creating the plan. The real challenge is fund