Municipal Government in Canada

This course is designed to provide learners with an advanced understanding of local government in Canada. The course begins in class 1 by describing the context for and defining the key elements of local government in Canada. In classes 2 through 5, the course examines the machinery of local government in Canada - local council in class 2, the permanent executive (aka public administration) in class 3, local government finance in class 4, and intergovernmental relations in class 5. In class 6, learners present profiles of the municipalities they will examine in more detail in their major assignments. In classes 8 through 11, learners examine local government from different, critical perspectives: class 8 explores local government from the perspective of rural Canada; classes 9 and 10 focus on the public policy process in Canadian municipalities; and class 11 examines one critical area of local governance in Canada - planning. Following the learner-run conference in week 12 or 13, class 14 challenges students to consider the future of local government in Canada in the context of key emerging issues.