Ian McCormack

As of the writing of this post, the province of New Brunswick held their local government elections a few days ago, and there are a series of other elections that are yet to occur across much of Canada in the late summer and fall. Following those elections, a whole bunch of new councillors, mayors, reeves, and wardens will be joining their more experienced colleagues around a council table for the next four years. At the same time, a whole bunch of experienced members will be departing,...

There is a well‑worn adage that there is always more work to do than resources available to do it. Local governments are no exception. Councils, administrations, and even citizens often want to do more, but municipal budgets rarely allow us to be everything to everybody. There are a few common ways governments try to resolve this tension, many of which are unpalatable. Increasing capacity by raising taxes typically meets strong resistance, and the same is true for increasing user fees for...

If you follow local government across Canada for any length of time, you start to see two kinds of councils. Some argue loudly, often, and productively and still manage to govern. Others can’t get out of their own way. Meetings become theatre. Personal grievances replace policy debate. And what should be the everyday work of democratic decision-making turns into a weekly exercise in damage control. The difference is rarely ideology. It’s rarely even competence. More often, the difference is...