Municipal Government in Canada - Term Paper Example

?Table of Contents Table of Contents 1.Introduction 2 2.Are the principles and techniques of new public management still relevant in municipal government in Canada? 3 2.1.Education, health and social services 3 2.2.Finance 4 3.Are there other values or techniques that governments should consider when governing and delivering services? 6 Works Cited: 9 Running Head: Municipal Government in Canada Student’s Name :( First, Middle, Last) Instructor/Lecturer: (Dd, mm, yyyy) 1. Introduction Municipal Government in Canada is the local administration formed by provinces to offer services that are more effectively catered under local control. The Municipal Government in Canada includes municipalities, villages, towns and cities. Municipalities entail a variety of rural municipalities likewise to metropolitan and regional governments that cater for huge urban areas. Responsibilities and powers which the Municipal Government in Canada exercise are normally set out in a general municipal statute also called the Municipal Act, Cities and Towns Act, Local Government Act and the Municipal Act (Bens and Charles K, 1986). Municipal Governments in Canada form policies, ensure their implementation and raise revenue which forms the large portion of sources which are the real property taxes and grants from provincial governments. Municipal Governments in Canada are responsible in forming policies which run the local governments and raise of revenue sources; which acts as the local legislature. In the constitutional Act, 1982, the Municipal Governments in Canada have their powers determined by provincial governments though their performance is evaluated by electorate in normal elections. 2. Are the principles and techniques of new public management still relevant in municipal government in Canada? Principles and techniques of new public management are still significant within the municipal government in Canada as they help in provision of Education, health, social services and finance. 2.1. Education, health and social services Secondary and elementary education is offered by school boards who are the school authorities which are usually independent from the local governments. These are also responsible to their own electorate of financing, administration and standards of education. School boards usually don’t gather taxes directly and rather there is the requisition of funds from the local municipalities who collect property taxes in their jurisdiction. Bens and Charles K (1986), the commissions, agencies and special boards also regarded as the components of Municipal Governments in Canada formed to either administer the functions usual to several separate municipalities or offer special services are generally regarded as outside mandate of ordinary town or city government. There is a changing pattern of performance responsibility in provision of welfare and health care. Within some provinces in Canada, the health providing units operate under the local provincial control and are almost taken the entire responsibility locally. In the field of welfare, care of the aged usually referred in Canada as seniors in terms of old age pensions, has established as the federal government function since 1920s (Richard Tindal and Susan, 1992). Huge responsibilities for other welfare services have slowly been considered by provincial and federal governments after their requirement and needswent beyond what the local authorities could offer (Bens and Charles K, 1986). 2.2. Finance Municipal Governments in Canada get their entire authority from provincial legislatures hence they have the minimum autonomy in Canadian government. This is both a weakness and strength for them. Municipal Governments in Canada are normally considered to be the most financially prudent due to their stringent balanced budget needs and debts limits positioned them on provincial governments; with latter at least allowing borrowing on capital account (Richard Tindal and Susan, 1992). In most provinces there is the commission or municipal boards elected by provincial government which review some factors of actions in Municipal Governments in Canada. These involve public borrowing, capital expenditures, community planning and particular local by-laws. A parallel variety is obtained in financing of Municipal Governments in Canada with nearly 55% of their revenues in 1993 being derived from their own sources, 40% from taxation, 15% from non-tax revenues and almost 45% from transfers. Differences in municipal and school finance nevertheless forms international comparisons of doubtful values. In 1998, the Municipal Governments in Canada received 58% of its revenue from taxation with 26% from non-tax sources and 16% from transfers (Bens and Charles K, 1986). Nearly 15% of the local government revenues in Canada are non-tax revenues with slight averages below in big OECD countries. The non-tax revenues for Canadian municipalities nevertheless are responsible for nearly 25% of the whole revenue. In that 77% is from services and sales, 18% from investment income and 5% from penalties and fines. A large number of non-tax revenues are user related charges. These have been asserted by some of the latter might also be enhanced maybe to take the position of some local business taxes which are much high in Canada. Municipal Governments in Canada circumscription of the revenue base is nearly the most serious limitation. Property taxes are a huge part in their own source revenues and they have increased since 1988. Other governments can offer then to increase efficiency by reducing fiscal gaps between local revenue producing capacity and local expenditure needs, correcting benefit pullovers, equilibrate fiscal capacities among local governments or to several political or non-economic ends. The purposes of transfers are usually indistinct and multiple. Richard Tindal and Susan (1992), Municipal Governments in Canada, decades of fiscal restraint by provincial and federal governments have minimized transfers and nearly certainly enlarged passing of tasks on municipalities at the same time they get into concert with low income gain, and induced conditions which are hush to enlarge in local own revenues (Bens and Charles K, 1986). The result obviously, has exacerbated of fiscal forces for Municipal Governments in Canada. Most of municipalities in Canada resources are expected on 20% transportation, 16% protection, 15% health and social services, 15% environment (solid waste, sewerage, water) and 11% on culture and recreation. On January 2003, in Ontario, a new municipal Act was introduced into effect that gave municipalities’ new flexibility to cater for local conditions and act on local environmental, economic and social changes. On the other hand, the Quebec’s municipal system has encountered great changes within the last two years, but provincial legislation goes on to realize the two levels of local, municipal and regional. Being an example of provincial idiosyncrasy which makes generalizations dangerous, Alberta becomes the sole province with incorporated urban, town of Banff and concentrate municipality of Jasper in the boundaries of national parks. Alberta has consists of eight descendants of native and European inter-breeding settlements which are in the process of becoming local governments. 3. Are there other values or techniques that governments should consider when governing and delivering services? The governments ought to put into consideration other values or techniques when governing and delivering services. These entail the new paradigms of public administration. This is because the public administrative culture is changing into a more flexible, innovative problem solving, enterprising and entrepreneurial as opposed to other process-oriented, rule-bound, and input-focused techniques instead of the results. More so consensus, cooperation and democratic administration are more probable rather than the simple practice of administrative authority resulting in organizational efficiency. Modern perception of public administration should be established on post-behavioral and post-positivistic, adaptable and responsive to changing social-economic and social-economic political circumstances. The new public administration never achieved its targets of revolutionizing the discipline (Bens and Charles K, 1986). Even though its movement had a lasting effect on public administration as they nudged public administrators into reconsidering their formal intellectual links with management and completing its academic autonomy prospects. However, autonomy later inspired the establishment of new advances within the public administration like new public service and postmodern public administration. Majority of government institutions do more and more complex duties in rapid and competitive changing conditions with their customers who are need of choice and quality. The new public management began to take hold early 1990’s in a new managerial advance into a new managerial advance. The same case with traditional managerial advance in its inception, the new advance is reform-oriented and gets to advance its public sector operations which commences from premise that bureaucratically organized and traditional public administration being quoted. Managerial skills refer to entrepreneurial advance towards public management which emphasizes on the manager’s rights in functioning of organization and applying of reinvigorated scientific-management methods. While the new public management has been considered as an alternative for public administration, actually it is almost similar with the mainstream model of public administration, particularly commitment and dependence to models of rational choice. Thus, whilst there are plain differences amidst the old public administration and new public management, the primary theoretical foundation for these two: public policy and public administration; are much alike. Democratic citizenship citizens look past their self-interest to the huge public interest adopting the wider and long interest. In addition, the long term perspective that needs knowledge of public affairs sense of belonging as well, and entire concern and moral bond in entire community. The public demands and aspirations require maintenance and nourishment which is facilitated through constant attention to rules of justice, deliberation and public participation (Richard Tindal and Susan, 1992). Initially, where the strong networks for high levels and interaction of social trust and cohesion with citizens originates, public administrators may count on these existing stock of social capital to establish even stronger networks in opening of new avenues for debate and dialogues. More so, they can educate citizens with respect to issues of democratic governance. Public administrators in Municipal Governments in Canada may participate to establishing social and community capital. Some people consider the main role of Municipal Governments in Canada as an establishment of community whilst others argue that local governments may play an active duty in boosting of social capital by enhancing citizen participation in public decision making. Bens and Charles K (1986), within Municipal Governments in Canada, most organizations may have people with considerably little organization and control over their tasks. In most cases, they are expected to be limited and submissive in what they perform. Those kinds of arrangements usually fail as they limit the contributions employees on organizations. In order to enhance growth on individuals and boosted organizational performance, there should be the approach to management in which managers establish and apply effective skills enhancing a self-awareness diagnosing. This would assist individuals to grow and become more productive. Works Cited: Bens and Charles K. Principles and techniques of new public management. International City Management Association, November 18, 1986. Epstein and Paul. Municipalities of Local Government in Canada. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1984. Hatry and Harry P. Performance Principles and Techniques. Public Productivity Review, Dec 4, 1980, pp. 312-339. Richard Tindal and Susan Nobes, Local Government in Canada, Plunkett, 1992. Read More