Municipalities are responsible for many essential services and have become vital agents for implementing provincial policies, including those dealing with the environment, emergency planning, economic development, and land use. 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.

Each chapter follows a common template in order to facilitate comparison and covers essential features such as institutional structures, municipal functions, demography, and municipal finances. Canada's municipalities function in diverse ways but have similar problems and, in this way, are illustrative of the importance of local democracy. Foundations of Governance shows that municipal governments require the legitimacy granted by a vibrant democracy in order to successfully negotiate and implement important collective choices about the futures of communities.

Andrew Sancton is professor of political science and director of the Local Government Program at the University of Western Ontario.

Andrew Sancton's profile page

Robert Young (1950-2017) was professor of political science and Canada Research Chair in Multilevel Governance recipient at University of Western Ontario.

Robert A. Young's profile page

'This volume provides solid empirical evidence and a sound foundation for future policies and legislative initiatives that may be contemplated by Canadian policy and Law- makers. Overall, this book delivers a comprehensive, insightful, and absorbing account of the intergovernmental relationships between municipal and provincial governments within Canada.'

Urban studies Journal, vol 48: June 2011