Municipal Government

The Basic Issue

As Diammant and Pike note (see below) RM's generally face the consolidation issue for one of several reasons:

• Financial problems
• dissatisfaction with the local _____
• anexation threat
• economic development desired
• Provincial edict

There is a strong desire to keep municipal government local in order to keep the needs they address realistic and timely. The rural municipal government is very concerned with bridges, roads and drainage because these are very critical to farm operations. Larger regional bodies are much farther removed from the complex details of these issues.

Some considerable progress has been made in Manitoba with partnerships between municipalities and tax/revenue sharing arrangements. These seem to form a bridge relationship based on function, allowing formal amalgamations to take place later as and when they seem appropriate.

A variety of arrangements have been worked out over the years and by different provinces. These systems vary in the number of regional bodies that lie between provincial government (who lays out the structure for Municipalities) and he local governments themselves. Regional bodies of a variety of configurations are mandated to look after such areas as health and planning. The boundaries of these regional bodies do not overlap with the municipal boundaries or with each other most times.

One of the main problems with consolidation is the removal of the training ground for new civic leaders, who often used to get experience as trustees on school boards and as municipal counselors during their 30's and 40's. Whether consolidation saves money or not, this aspect of rural life leaves a large gap, and one which is not easily filled with a series of "workshops".

Rural Development Institute Research Studies

• "Consolidation and the Small Municipality: A Commentary" -Peter Diammant and Amy Pike
  This study is a follow-up to a 1994 study on Structure of local governments in small municipalities. The first study focused on:
  • Theories of Municipal Government
  • CanadianContext
  • Other Western Nations
  • Synthesis of available information

  This study is :

  • non-theoretical and focuses on trends vs. detail
  • 5 Provincial policies and programs
  • several case studies of consolidations, noting unique features

  A very good study for those facing the issue of consolidation and joint service options. The concept of consolidation seems to be more of a problem than the reality it seems. After a while, with cost savings and so forth there is a gradual growing together or RM's

• "Capital Region Strategy Workbook: Partners for the future" - no author
  This is a discussion paper produced in order to generate a further document. It is concerned with the statistics to define "sustainable development" for the capital region of Manitoba, and as such is apart of a larger sustainable development initiative. The Capital region is that area of Winnipeg plus the immediate surrounding municipalities which are involved in the urban dynamics in a vital way. About 75% of Manitoba's population live in the capital region.

  Co-incidentally the capital region is located on the Red River flood plain. This fact is a reality which both unifies and divides them periodically when the river turns into a huge lake owing to the flat terrain, ice jams to the north of the area and the spring melt of the Red River to their south.

  Environmentalists say this is really not a great place to locate intensive hog operations owing to the manure wash-off problems but it seems to be where we want to raise them. Municipal governments are very much involved in these sorts of issues. Perhaps the fact that Winnipeg gets it s water from Lake of the Woods by aqueduct makes the less concerned abut this problem than the people in the surrounding areas who are dependant on local sources of water.

• "The Structure of Local Government and the Small Municipality" Peter Diamant and Amy Pike
  This is the earlier study to the one noted above. It is an excellent overview of the municipal situation in the rural areas of Manitoba and is concerned with:
  • Theories of Municipal Government
  • CanadianContext
  • Other Western Nations
  • Synthesis of available information

• "Restructuring Local Government: Where do We Go From Here?" -Peter Diamant. Chapter 4 in Changing Rural Institutions
  This paper arose as a preparatory study for Manitoba's 1994 review of the Municipal Act. It gives an excellent overview of the historical development of municipal structures to date. He notes the three dilemmas which keep this issue in a state of unresolvedness over time:
  1. The Urban Dilemma (variations in population throughout a rural Municipality)
  2. The Accountability dilemma (amalgamation versus partnership)
  3. The government closest to the People dilemma( local contact is more difficult when organizations become large)

  He reflects o three options for Manitoba: status quo, consolidation and Modified multi tier, noting that Canada has a two tier structure (urban usually) and a very stable single tier system at present.

Other Resources