Poli Sci

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1). Canadian Local government
Canadian federalism recognizes three tiers of government: federal, provincial and local municipalities. Local governments and municipal authorities are more relevant than ever, because of increase in population and urbanization. In essence, urbanization puts a strain on resources and the infrastructure in various municipalities as they try to provide services in these communities. Local governments provide services to the public and as such there is a need for efficiency through proper governance. Local governments mostly the municipal authorities are below provinces in the administrative structure of Canada. Municipal authorities are similar in there structures and functions across various provinces in Canada (Bish &Clemens, 2008).
Provincial authorities may delegate responsibilities to municipal governments, whereby municipal authorities are those that have municipal responsibilities including local administration; they may differ according to the province or whether they are urban. Many municipal governments share less public expenditure because provinces are in charge of most public service resources. Moreover, the administrative structure allows provinces to shoulder more responsibility for education and social matters. However, they do not offer education and health programs.
Municipal authorities can be divided on the basis of territorial boundaries and responsibilities. Most municipal authorities are lower, single tier municipalities and are mandated with the provision of service delivery in specific territories. The second category is the upper tier which cover wide areas composed of numerous lower tier municipalities including, counties, regional municipalities or big urban centers as metropolitan municipalities (Bish &Clemens, 2008).
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Lower tier municipalities provide services depending on local traditions and needs. Consequently, there public expenditures go into waste and water supply management, urban land management, transportation management, road maintenance, protection of people, property and creation of recreational facilities. Besides the provision of services, municipalities also deal with economic development, holding consultative meetings with the people and facilitating local elections.
Upper tier municipalities have jurisdictions across various local authorities and could be set up either for various purposes, an individual purpose or in the management of a region. Municipalities serving various purposes are tasked with decision making especially with choosing administrators and various professionals and can also endorse budgets. Special purpose authorities are mainly mandated in environmental protection and are headed by a Board of Directors. Metropolitan councils craft strategies on how to deal with issues affecting big metropolitan cities.
The metro GVRD/ Greater Vancouver Regional District in British Columbia is a metropolitan c...