Alberta S Local Governments And Their Politics

During the last decade, Alberta municipalities have endured hardships they have not faced since the Great Depression. Changes in the province's political structures appear to have been made primarily to transfer a greater share of the costs of local government to the municipalities, yet surprisingly few municipal politicians have resisted the province's financial policies. Alberta's Local Governments: Politics and Democracy documents the policies and events that have tested and strengthened the commitment of municipalities to democratic government.

During the last decade, Alberta municipalities have endured hardships they have not faced since the Great Depression. Changes in the province's political structures appear to have been made primarily to transfer a greater share of the costs of local government to the municipalities, yet surprisingly few municipal politicians have resisted the province's financial policies.

Alberta's politics are changing in response to powerful economic, social and political forces. The contributors focus on developments since the election of the Progressive Conservatives in 1971.

In Foundations of Governance, experts from each of Canada's provinces come together to assess the extent to which municipal governments have the capacity to act autonomously, purposefully, and collaboratively in the intergovernmental arena.

The Alberta Grade 6 Social Studies program of studies focuses on citizenship, identity and democratic processes of decision-making within our society. Students explore ways to participate in democratic processes, be involved in their communities and develop beliefs, values and attitudes that empower them to effect change. The topic of local government is a natural place for students to investigate how issues, challenges and decisions are dealt with in communities. The Building Communities Through Local Government resources provide opportunities for students to explore local government in the context of their own and other communities. The resources support General Outcome 6.1 of the Alberta Social Studies program of studies. They are based on a fundamental assumption that students should be involved in decision-making and encouraged to consider ways that they can be active, participatory and engaged citizens.

City Politics, Canada is an introduction to the basic politics and core policies of today's city halls. While the book surveys classic discussions and accurately describes municipal institutions in Canada, it also explains why particular policies assume the specific shape they do. James Lightbody draws on over thirty years experience researching and participating in city politics to argue that transparent accountability from local public officials, related to specific policies and the general condition of the community, is an important and desired end for democratic city government. Arguments for change within city politics are insufficient if the result is that everyone has a say but no one is accountable. In following this theme throughout the book, Lightbody examines the various facets of metropolitan politics in a lively and engaging manner, and explains why city politics are important to all Canadians. Provincial agenda setting is viewed through the lens of the urban political landscape, as are the reasons behind the Toronto Megacity (1996) and Montreal's consolidation. Finally, the book expands its discussion to explore the global reach of the urban phenomenon and the impact of world practices on Canada's metropolitan cities. The ultimate hope for this book is that readers, as citizens, will be better able to understand the basic politics and core policies of today's city halls—and will be better equipped to participate effectively in the processes by which those policies are made.