Ingredients of a reinvented government.

• Author: Tindal, C. Richard
• Position: Excerpt from 'Local government in Canada, 4th ed.'

Editor's note: The following article consists of excerpts from Chapter 10 of the book Local Government in Canada, Fourth Edition, published by McGraw-Hill Ryerson in 1995. The GFOA extends its thanks to the publisher for permission to reprint its copyrighted material. Copies of the complete text (ISBN 0-07-551874-0) are available for $26.95 (Canadian), plus shipping and GST, from McGraw-Hill Ryerson Limited, 300 Water Street, Whitby, Ontario L1N 9B6 (800/565-5758 from Canada; 905/430-5000 from U.S.).

One hundred years ago, municipal governments faced a crisis with features very similar to those affecting the system today. One of the central elements of a new reform movement should be to undo the damage of the last reform movement - to put politics back into municipal government, or at least to acknowledge the inherently political nature of municipal government. A different conception of municipal government is needed, one which sees the municipality as an extension of the community. There are a variety of actions which can be taken by municipalities.

The Service Delivery Box

One of the most important things municipalities can do is to take a long and critical look at "what business they are in." What is needed, it is suggested, is for municipalities to distinguish between the role of governance and the role of providing services. Governance involves making decisions about what services and programs should be provided to the community - but it does not mean that the municipality will provide these services and programs. This has been described as the "enabling authority." An enabling municipality is one "which takes a broad responsibility for the social and economic issues confronting its area and uses all the means at its disposal to meet the needs of those living in the area."(1) This distinction between governance and service delivery has recently been popularized as steering versus rowing. It means separating policy decisions about what needs to be done (steering) from the provision of services (rowing).

Encourage Community Involvement

Progressive governments are finding ways to involve their communities in dealing with problems. In many instances, they are working with communities to reduce the likelihood that problems will arise in the first place.

Concerted efforts by municipalities and public health agencies can increase public awareness of the importance of health communities and healthy lifestyles as primary methods of avoiding sickness and associated treatment costs. Many municipalities are opening "storefront operations" in various parts of their community as part of a shift to community policing; the basic idea is to make public safety a community responsibility rather than just the job of professionals. A similar change in emphasis is also evident with respect to municipal fire departments. An excellent example is provided by the efforts of the Laval, Quebec...