Alberta S Local Governments Politics And Democracy

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.

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.

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.

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.

OVER 7000 copies have sold in 8 weeks Alberta's long-standing Progressive Conservative government has transformed Alberta into a virtual one-party province on its claims of openness, transparency and accountability. Democracy Derailed goes deep into the machinery of government to reveal how the Tories have methodically maintained their grip on power by dodging accountability, manipulating public opinion and stifling dissent both inside and outside of government. In doing so, the Tories have undermined the very foundation of democracy: government must be accountable to the people it is elected to serve. In this ground-breaking, first-person account, Kevin Taft exposes how Alberta's Tories derailed democracy and gives his prescription for putting it back on track. Visit www.democracyderailed.ca to see the web site set up for the book and and allows you to explore further into the issues it raises.