City Primer — Part 4: Why Cities Are Always Short of Money
Part four of a six-part series exploring how municipal government works in Vancouver: what cities do, how decisions are made, where municipal powers come from, and why local government often feels both intimate and difficult to navigate.
By Erick VillagomezMany residents assume cities operate financially in roughly the same way as provincial or federal governments. They don’t. Municipal governments are responsible for an enormous range of services and infrastructure: roads, sidewalks, parks, community centres, libraries, fire protection, policing, water systems, sewers, street lighting, recreation facilities, public spaces, and much of the physical infrastructure that makes urban life possible. Yet despite these responsibilities... Read more
