bulletins

The bulletin is prepared by John Sewell, the site manager, with the assistance and under the guidance of the advisory committee. It is published monthly, and is being sent to a wide range of people across Canada. Past copies of the bulletin are archived in this section of the site.

Local Government Bulletin No. 69, December 2006

1. Municipal government in Canada – looking at the last decade
2. Thanks and farewell

Bulletin No. 68, November 2006

1. Finding the money that cities need
2. Property Tax Review Again
3. A national urban agenda

Bullletin No. 67, July 2006

1. New Municipal Legislation in Ontario
2. Lobbying for municipalities
3. Equalization payments – a local problem
4. Mayor of Hamilton Charged

Bulletin No. 66, June 2006

1. City legislation for the 21st century
2. Funding suburban election campaigns

Bulletin No. 65, April 2006

1. Cities and energy
2. Edmonton’s infrastructure innovations
3. Getting property assessment right?
4. The passing of Jane Jacobs
5. Four year terms for municipalities

Bulletin No. 64, March 2006

1. The failure of the Montreal merger
2. Reported to be Running on Empty
3. Four-year term proposed for Ontario municipal governments
4. Avoiding the consequences of avoiding the election law

Bulletin No. 63, February 2006

1. Local government and the federal election
2. Inventive downloading
3. Reflections on the new City of Toronto legislation

Bulletin No. 62, December 2005

1. A minor facelift for the Ontario Municipal Board
2. The new City of Toronto legislation
3. Merging and De-merging

Bulletin No. 61, November 2005

1. Balking at real change in Toronto
2. Restructuring Toronto until it sinks
3. On the horizon

Bulletin No. 60, October 2005

1. Agglomerating
2. Hoping for renewal
3. The charter city idea as a dead end

Bulletin No. 59, September 2005

1. Tax Shifting
2. New ideas about the prostitution problem

Bulletin No. 58, July 2005

1. Law Commission report on city government status
2. Pennies from heaven?
3. The latest on the New City of Toronto Act negotiations

Bulletin No. 57, May 2005

1. Alberta agreement on a New Deal
2. Court orders election finance audit in Hamilton
3. A peak at Toronto Act negotiations
4. Social inclusion as a local issue

Bulletin No. 56, April 2005

1. The comfort of elastic taxes
2. British Columbia Agreement on a New Deal
3. Flush with money
4. The continuing mystery of the new City of Toronto Act

Bulletin No. 55, March 2005

1. Securing Local Democracy in the big city
2. Provincial status for cities?
3. More ideas on revenue sources for big cities

Bulletin No. 54, February 2005

1. The Dance of the Seven Veiled Deal
2. Choosing to be Mayor
3. Election contributions in Hamilton, Part 3
4. New revenue sources for a big city

Bulletin No. 53, January 2005

1. Is there a municipal infrastructure deficit?
2. Finding the proper provincial/municipal relations model in Alberta
3. New legislative powers for a large city

Bulletin No. 52, December 2004

1. The federal transfer of gas tax revenue
2. December Blues
3. Hamilton Election Contributions, Part 2
4. Counting the municipal infrastructure deficit

Bulletin No. 51, November 2004

1. The difficulty of wearing two hats
2. Power shift possibilities in Ontario
3. Municipal revenue options
4. No wards in Vancouver

Bulletin No. 50, September 2004

1. The ups and downs of municipal autonomy in Ontario
2. Plebiscite on ward system, City of Vancouver
3. Election contribution controversy in Hamilton

Bulletin No. 49, July 2004

1. A New City Agenda
2. Taxing problems in Edmonton
3. Newsletter about homelessness issues

Bulletin No. 48, June 2004

1. Vancouver Ward System
2. De-mergers become a reality
3. Land Use Planning Reform, again

Bulletin No. 47, May 2004

1. Le demerger, Yes Sir!
2. Who’s Afraid of Demergers?
3. Yes, New Municipal Law has Teeth

Bulletin No. 46, April 2004

1. Winnipeg’s New New Deal
2. Ontario offers municipalities more taxing powers??
3. Electoral reform in Vancouver
4. Forced amalgamation in Montreal has negative economic impacts

Bulletin No. 45, March 2004

1. An End to the New Deal for Cities
2. Local government going international
3. Ignoring local autonomy in Ontario, again

Bulletin No. 44, February 2004

1. Ottawa Promises
2. If you thought Canadian cities were treated badly...
3. De-amalgamating is a no-go in Victoria County

Bulletin No. 43, January 2004

A New Deal Comes in View
1. A view from the East
2. A view from the Hill
3. A view from the big city mayors
4. A longer view

Bulletin No. 42, December 2003

1. Police and local politics: two sagas
2. Water extraction as a `use of land’
3. A Setback for Winnipeg’s New Deal
4. Embarking on new federal directions for cities

Bulletin No. 41, November 2003

1. Berger studies Vancouver
2. New mayor for Toronto
3. De-amalgamating and de-merging
4. More on community charter legislation
5. Correction

Bulletin No. 40, October 2003

1. Winnipeg shows the way
2. Community Charters in British Columbia
3. Toronto police intervene politically

Bulletin No. 39, September 2003

1. The financial crunch for Quebec municipalities
2. Buffalo falls into trusteeship
3. Local government and the Ontario election.

Bulletin No. 38, June 2003

1. The Incredible Elasticity of Being a City
2. This just in: Canadian Municipalities in a budget crunch
3. Band-Aids for the City

Bulletin No. 37, May 2003

1. Paul Martin’s urban vision
2. Hobbling municipal governments even more
3. De-mergers in Quebec
4. And in Ontario

Bulletin No. 36, April 2003

1. A De-Merger Rumba
2. Slow-Dancing in New Brunswick
3. The Downloading Two-Step in Nova Scotia
4. The Federal Waltz

Bulletin No. 35, February 2003

1. A local presence at the national level
2. Solving the soft-wood lumber dispute locally
3. Winter Doldrums?

Bulletin No. 34, January 2003

1. Local government financing, US style
2. Drawing ward boundaries in Ontario
3. Correction: Winnipeg's Hansard Exists!

Bulletin No. 33, December 2002

1. Lessons from Two Public Inquiries
2. The cost of Local Restructuring
3. Cable Coverage of Municipal Issues

Bulletin No. 32, November 2002

1. Sgro Report: Cities Strike Out
2. An Amalgamated City Unravels

Bulletin No. 31, October 2002

1. Vancouver Municipal Election
2. More Federal Promises
3. Two books of local government interest

Bulletin No. 30, September 2002

1. Challenge to the Municipal “Spheres of Jurisdiction” Approach
2. The Long History of Revenue Sharing
3. Layton takes urban issues national

Bulletin No. 29, July 2002

1. The City’s Act, Saskatchewan version
2. City of Winnipeg Charter introduced
3. Free speech in a billboard culture
4. Revenue sharing with municipalities, a correction

Bulletin No. 28, June 2002

1. The continuing saga of federal money and municipal desire
2. Quebec proposes a slice of the Sales Tax
3. Fleshing the Community Charter Bones in British Columbia

Bulletin No. 27, May 2002

1. Sgro report misses the mark
2. FCM tackles the issue of local power
3. Court orders de-amalgamation in Ontario

Bulletin No. 26, April 2002

1. A new look for the Local Government Bulletin
2. Preparing for possible federal action
3. The Toronto Dominion Bank’s proposed agenda for cities
4. More global intervention in local affairs

Bulletin No. 25, March 2002

1) Senior governments financial winners in the Region of Waterloo
2) More on zoning as a constraint to global trade
3) The banks adopt the city cause
4) Property tax regimes as a cause of sprawl
5) Redesigning this website
6) Subscribe to the bulletin

Bulletin No. 24, February 2002

1. Zoning is a constraint on global trade??
2. Hinting de-amalgamation
3. Federal money stays federal

Bulletin No. 23, January 2002

1. Ontario Provincial/Municipal Agreement
2. Another interpretation of the new Housing program
3. Big city focus and shifting ground
4. Correction
5. Subscribe to the bulletin

Bulletin No. 22, December 2001

1. British Columbia’s Gold Slipping Away
2. New Federal Housing Program
3. Iffy infrastructure, the federal jest

Bulletin No. 21, November 2001

1. Local Decision-Making about Health
2. Housing programs in the balance

Bulletin No. 20, October 2001

1. New Municipal Act for Ontario
2. Municipalities and free trade agreements
3. No more mergers in Quebec, and no luck in the courts
4. Anti-terrorism and security

Bulletin No. 19, September 2001

1. Striking gold in British Columbia
2. Finding a way to de-amalgamate
3. Leaky condo liabilities

Bulletin No. 18, July 2001

1. Striking out in Montreal
2. Financial feast and municipal famine

Bulletin No. 17, June 2001

1. Local eyes turn West
2. Turn-around time for the big city?
3. Joe Clark speaks about cities

Bulletin No. 16, May 2001

1. Urban Task Force established
2. Provincial/municipal relations in Ontario
3. Montreal amalgamations
4. More on Free Trade Agreements

Bulletin No. 15, April 2001

1. The Big 5 meet in Winnipeg
2. The Montreal anti-merger arguments
3. Municipalities and Free Trade Agreements

Bulletin No. 14, March 2001

1. Amalgamation idea slammed again
2. Ottawa’s amalgamation boondoggle
3. Understanding city finances?

Bulletin No. 13, February 2001

1. Federal interest in urban areas
2. Regional governance Calgary-style
3. Montreal municipalities in court, almost
4. Correction

Bulletin No. 12, January 2001

1. Re-establishing Local Government, Part 2 (Australia)
2. Court action on Quebec fusions
3. The GTSB - a failed regional structure

Bulletin No. 11, December 2000

1. Opposition to Quebec municipal fusions unsuccessful
2. Re-establishing local institutions in New Brunswick
3. The Bill 140 straightjacket in Ontario
4. A new voice for local government in Ottawa

Bulletin No. 10, November 2000

1. Fusions in Quebec
2. Reviving a draft new Municipal Act in Ontario
3. Comparing voters’ lists
4. Address changes

Bulletin No. 09, October 2000

1. The Supreme Court of Canada disempowers local institutions
2. At last: someone’s created a good municipal voters’ list

Bulletin No. 08, June 2000

1. Impetus for Toronto charter idea
2. Strengthening local government in British Columbia
3. Accounting the cost of downloading in Ontario.
4. The privatization debate

Bulletin No. 07, May 2000

1. Bill 62 and the attack on local government in Ontario
a) The time allocation motion
b) The presentations to the committee
c) Committee deliberations
d) What happens next
e) Concluding thoughts
2. Clear proof: Big cities generate big surplus tax revenues

Bulletin No. 06, April 2000

1. Tighter straightjackets for Ontario municipalities
2. Lessons from an amalgamated Toronto
a. Amalgamation costs more than it saves.
b. The transition period involves extraordinary confusion.
c. Amalgamation results in decreased services to the public.
d. User fees were increased
e. Harmonization is very expensive and very difficult to achieve.
f. Most councillors refuse to speak out.
g. Suggestions for citizens.

Bulletin No. 05, March 2000

1. First, the bad news
2. A draft Charter for Toronto
3. Merger Mania, the book

Bulletin No. 04, February 2000

1) Alberta municipalities gain fuel tax revenue
2) Municipal charter: statement and responses
3) Reorganizing local government in Edmonton
4) Losing council seats in Newfoundland; and
5) A new book: Toronto – considering self government

Bulletin No. 03, January 2000

1. The emerging debate about city-state status for big cities, with specific reference to the way that debate is being shaped in Toronto.

2. Two new additions to the Library tab of the web site: one on the history of municipal authority in Canada; the other analyzing recent provincial proposals to enhance municipal autonomy.

Bulletin No. 02, December 1999

1. The attack on local government in Ottawa, Hamilton and Sudbury.

2. Three years later, residents of the larger Halifax are even more upset about amalgamation.

3. Professor Andrew Sancton argues that globalization is not a good rationale for amalgamation.

Bulletin No. 01, November 1999

1. News on the Alberta School Boards case
2. A brief description of the loss of local government in the state of Victoria, Australia
3. Defining the issue