POLICY: Urban Policies
Federal/National Level of Government
Distribution of Powers
In Canada, sections 91 and 92 of the Constitution Act 1867, formerly known as the British North America Act, outline the distribution of powers between the federal and provincial levels of government.
Section 92 indicates that the Legislature of each Province can make laws pertaining to "Municipal Institutions in the Province".
Municipal Institutions are municipal governments. A municipal government may be rural or urban.
Each province defines what is considered a rural municipality or an urban municipality.
Levels of Government
There are 3 main levels of government in Canada:
- Federal
- Provincial/Territorial
- Municipal
Provincial/Territorial/State Level
The following are links to web sites of ministries or departments for the provinces and territories in Canada responsible for municipal and local affairs:
Municipal/Local Level
METHOD 1: USE THE INTERNET TO FIND OFFICIAL CITY WEB SITES
Use Google to locate the official website for a city. Here are some steps to follow:
Step 1: In the Google search box type the city you are interested in and the word official
Step 2: Locate the official page
Step 3: Make a note of the URL
Step 4: Use the URL, eg. www.portlandonline.com to carry out an Advanced Search (steps are found on the Finding Urban (City) Policies page in this guide).
METHOD 2: USE PORTALS/GATEWAYS THAT HAVE GATHERED TOGETHER CITY WEB SITES
There are several web sites that have gathered together the web sites of municipalities. The following is a selection:
Federation of Canadian Municipalities
- Municipalities in Canada become members of the FCM
- NB. Not every municipality in Canada is a member
- List of over 2000 members arranged by province