Local Government

Municipalities generally have fire departments that are responsible for putting out fires and rescuing people. They may also help keep the environment safe by monitoring the movement and responding to spills of dangerous goods. Municipalities often have fire prevention programs, including the inspection of places to prevent fires. School programs can be developed to inform students about the dangers of fires and hazardous goods. Municipalities may have full- or part-time firefighters, volunteer firefighters or a combination of both. Some municipalities may partner or contract with a neighbouring municipality.

The council of a municipality is responsible for providing a safe community. Police services provide protection of residents and property, and enforcement of laws. The police services in a large urban municipality can be provided by its own police department. It may also be provided by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). Besides providing protection for all residents, the municipality’s police or RCMP also enforce federal and provincial laws and some bylaws. Duties include enforcing traffic laws and supporting the municipality by providing information to residents and schools.

Municipalities may provide ambulance service to respond to people who need emergency medical care. The council can establish and decide on the type of ambulance service the municipality will provide. It may provide its own ambulance service, contract with private ambulance operators, or work in partnership with neighbouring municipalities to provide a regional ambulance service. There may be a combined fire and ambulance service that can include ambulance attendants who have some fire protection training.

Municipalities may provide a water supply to their residents. Water can come from a variety of sources, such as a lake, river or wells. Rural municipalities may provide water services or residents may provide their own water systems. Municipalities are responsible for where and how municipal raw, or untreated, water is stored, and for transporting raw water to a treatment facility. Municipalities may store treated water in a reservoir, a storage facility that can be enclosed, an underground or above-ground man-made lake, or a water tower. They develop and build pipe systems to transport treated water to homes, businesses and industrial sites.

Municipalities may provide for the collection and disposal of solid waste or garbage. Rules and policies can establish the type of container used for waste, how often waste will be collected, what can be recycled and the management of different types of waste. Some municipalities collect and dispose of all the solid waste that is generated. Some may hire private companies to collect and dispose of commercial, agricultural and industrial waste. Municipalities may provide their own collection service, contract a private service or work in partnership with neighbouring municipalities to provide a regional solid waste management service. Usually, municipalities dispose of their solid waste in a sanitary landfill site. One consideration in establishing a landfill site is deciding what it will be used for when it is full. Sometimes rural residents may not have collection services for waste and have to take their garbage to a sanitary landfill site. Some rural municipalities experience problems with the dumping of waste in ditches or on the side of roadways. Some municipalities may have recycling and composting programs.

Once water is used by residents, it becomes wastewater and is returned to a treatment system if a municipality provides one. Wastewater can come from sinks, showers, bathtubs, toilets, washing machines or dishwashers. A number of methods, including wastewater collection through underground pipes, are used to bring wastewater to a treatment facility. Where there are different elevations in the land, a lift station can be used to pump the wastewater to the higher elevation. Treatment facilities treat wastewater and when it is clean, release it back into the environment. Rural municipalities that have hamlets can use lagoon systems to treat wastewater. A lagoon system consists of one or more storage tanks or ponds where the wastewater is stored. Some people who live in rural municipalities are required to have their own wastewater system.

The roads, streets and sidewalks in a municipality are all part of the responsibilities of the council. This area of responsibility is often called public works or transportation. The municipality builds, maintains and repairs roads, streets and sidewalks. Sidewalks are constructed with the safety of pedestrians in mind. The municipality is also responsible for fixing problems that occur in roadways and sidewalks, such as cracks or potholes, and providing regular maintenance, such as grading and clearing snow. The province takes responsibility for highways in all municipalities except in cities.

Many large urban municipalities have a public transit system. Public buses or light rail transit systems provide transportation services that anyone can use. The municipality is responsible for managing these systems. It must also plan routes that will work best for the needs of the people who live there, while keeping the cost of the service reasonable.

Public lighting is one of the services that municipalities provide. This service is usually part of a department called public works. The municipality provides adequate and safe lighting on public properties. Public lighting is planned to provide visibility for safety and security, and some municipalities try to take care that they do not use lighting that is too bright. Too much light, or light that is too bright, can be called light pollution.

Recreation facilities can include swimming pools, soccer fields, baseball diamonds and ice arenas. Some recreation centres have more than one purpose. They are often maintained by the municipality. Some municipalities may share multi-purpose facilities with neighbouring municipalities.

Many municipalities provide libraries for their communities. Municipalities work with library boards and, in some cases, school authorities to provide public library services. These services include the use of library resources, help from library staff and information services. Municipalities that have a library must have a library board. They can also be part of a regional library system that shares library materials between communities.

Municipalities can provide a variety of parks that may contain playgrounds or activity centres, outdoor ice surfaces, baseball fields and soccer pitches. Some parks have indoor recreation centres, arenas, pools, community centres or golf courses. Some neighbourhood parks have playgrounds and open space for children to play. Municipalities may also have parks that preserve the natural features of the landscape and include pathways and trails for bicyclists, skaters, joggers and walkers. Parks may also have large open areas for community gatherings, festivals and celebrations.

Municipalities can have a variety of community centres, or large places where groups of people can hold meetings, social gatherings and events such as conferences and conventions. These centres are available for people and organizations in the municipality to use, but can also be used by groups and organizations from outside the municipality. These centres can range from community halls to large convention centres. Community centres can sometimes be managed by committees or groups that work with or for the municipality.

Some municipalities provide services to seniors that may include seniors’ housing, drop-in centres, hot meal services, recreation and health programs and in-home care. Some services are provided directly by the municipality. Some may be coordinated through non-profit organizations within the municipality.

Municipalities may offer programs that support families, individuals and groups within the community, such as services for children, youth, adults and seniors. These support programs are held in different places around the municipality and can include hot meal services, parenting classes, seniors’ transportation and newcomer services. Programs can be provided by volunteers and not-for-profit organizations. Programs in some municipalities can be provided in partnership with other municipalities.