A Thought-Provoking Conversation
Last week in class we were given the opportunity to speak with alumni working on municipal or local issues but at different orders of government. After speaking with provincial and federal government employees to better understand the unique relationship between municipalities and their levels of government, I was surprised by the candour of their responses.
I asked the alumni why they were working in the federal or provincial government if their interests are focused on municipal issues. Their responses varied but one really stood out to me.
The alumnus said that his interests were in social issues like housing and other supports for people in need. He then went on to say that municipalities are incompetent at handling these issues. He said, “if I cared about an issue as deeply as I do for these certain issues, I would NEVER work on them at the municipal level.” That was not the answer I was expecting.
The provincial and federal governments, the alumnus noted, have more control over their budgets and thus make more rational policy decisions. He was particularly offended that the municipal government spent more money on repairing the Gardiner than on social housing. Others didn’t share as pessimistic of a view and merely referenced opportunity or interest in seeing a different perspective as reasons for choosing to work at a different order of government. Some pointed to the scope of the government, saying they prefer to look at the big picture rather than getting into granular details.
All of that left me feeling a little bit defeated and unclear about the direction of municipalities. Why are public servants passionate about local issues actively avoiding working at the city level?
What is the answer here? Are municipalities poorly managed? Spending on the wrong things? Choosing priorities that don’t align with what the public needs? I don’t know but this chat certainly brought up serious issues that require further analysis.
