Introduction to Regional Districts 1 What Are They?
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Introduction Regionalto Districts: Communities in Partnership 2005 First Edition Contents regional districts in bc Regional Districts in BC 1 ach province in Canada has its Almost everyone in British Eown system of local govern- Columbia lives within, and relies What are They? 2 ment. British Columbia’s system is upon, one of the province’s 27 Service Providers 2 similar to that of every other prov- regional districts. Not all Administrative Agencies 3 ince in that it features, at its core, a British Columbians, however, Federations 3 network of municipalities. In every have a good, basic understanding province, municipalities have been of what regional districts are, How do They Work? 4 created to address the service what they exist to do and how Corporate Structure 4 needs of urban communities, and they function. This booklet sets Service Establishment 6 to provide democratic forums for out to help citizens develop this Voting 7 local-decision making. understanding. Regional District Finance 8 British Columbia’s system is unique This booklet is one part of the from others, however, in one key larger Regional District Tool Kit pro- Services 8 respect: the use of regional dis- duced by the Union of Revenue Collection 9 tricts. Regional districts are local British Columbia Municipalities, Tax Notices 9 government authorities that exist in partnership with BC’s Ministry Budgets 10 to meet certain local government of Community Services. The service needs that neither munici- Tool Kit is a comprehensive Questions & Answers 10 palities nor the province itself are information resource designed to particularly well-suited to address. help various audiences – citizens, One such need relates to the pro- elected offi cials, media, First vision of basic local government Nations, developers and others services to small, unincorporated – better understand the regional communities and rural areas of the district system. Readers who province. Another need concerns wish to learn the details about the provision of services across regional districts should consult municipalities and unincorporated the Tool Kit’s other components. areas, throughout broader sub- The full Kit is available online at regional areas or entire regions. www.civicnet.bc.ca. Regional districts, fi rst introduced in the mid-1960s, were created specifi cally to address these needs. ii introduction to Regional Districts 1 what are they? very regional district is made and regional services in direct others are provided to and on itself must be coordinated and pro- Eup of municipalities, referred response to the expressed needs, behalf of groups of municipalities cessed by the regional district be- to as member municipalities, and desires and instructions of the mu- and electoral areas that jointly fore being forwarded to the MFA. unincorporated areas, referred to nicipalities and electoral areas that choose to receive the services. Still as electoral areas. The individual comprise the region. The regional others are provided regionally to Hospital Funding – Regional jurisdictions that comprise district Board of Directors, on every municipality and electoral districts are designated under pro- a regional district work together which all electoral areas and mem- area in the regional district. Any vincial law as Regional Hospital to enable the organization to fulfi ll ber municipalities are represented, member jurisdiction or combina- Districts (RHDs) for the purpose its purposes. This section of the serves as the political forum in tion of jurisdictions can choose of raising capital funds for hospi- booklet identifi es and explains which these needs, desires and to provide services through their tal facilities in their areas. RHDs those purposes. instructions are expressed. regional district. provide the local share (about 40 percent) of funding for capital costs There are certain services that ev- associated with the construction, Service Providers ery regional district is required by Administrative Agencies acquisition and maintenance of provincial law to deliver – general hospital facilitates and major equip- First and foremost, regional dis- The provision of services to and on government administration, elec- ment in their areas. These capital tricts are local government service behalf of their members is, as not- toral area planning and solid waste costs are shared with the Health providers. They exist to play three ed, the primary purpose of regional management planning are perhaps Authorities according to criteria important service-related roles: districts. In addition to service pro- the most notable. The number established by legislation. RHD vision, however, regional districts · they are the local govern- of required services, however, is boards are comprised of municipal are called upon by the province ments for their electoral areas, small, both in absolute terms and and electoral area directors who to manage certain administrative responsible for providing basic relative to the number of voluntary are members of the correspond- functions. Two key examples are local services such as com- services most regional districts ing regional district. There are the processing of local government munity planning, water supply, choose to provide, in keeping with currently 23 RHDs, some of which debt, and the collection of capital fi re protection and nuisance the wishes of their members. overlap regional district boundar- regulation funds for hospital projects. The range of voluntary services ies. Note that due to provisions in · they are inter-jurisdictional provided by different regional dis- Debt – In 1971, the provincial gov- the Greater Vancouver Transporta- service bodies that provide tricts is vast. It includes water and ernment created the Municipal tion Act, the Greater Vancouver local government sub-regional sewer utilities, recreation pro- Finance Authority (MFA) as the Regional District no longer has a services across jurisdictional grams and facilities, community and central borrowing agency for mu- RHD. boundaries to different com- regional parks, libraries, regulatory nicipalities and regional districts. By binations of municipalities and services such as animal control law, all local governments, with the electoral areas and building inspection, emer- exception of the City of Vancouver, Federations · they are regional service gency planning and fi re protection, are required to borrow funds for Regional districts are federations of bodies, responsible for provid- economic development and fi lm in- capital projects through the MFA. the various municipalities and elec- ing important regional services dustry promotion, regional growth Regional districts function as a toral areas that exist within the re- to their entire regional commu- management, airports and even critical part of the MFA system. All gional district boundaries. With the nities television rebroadcasting. Some of capital borrowing requests from exception of certain provincially- member municipalities and from mandated duties, regional districts Regional districts establish and these services are provided locally the regional district corporation derive their authority to act from provide their local, sub-regional to individual jurisdictions, while 2 introduction to Regional Districts 3 the municipalities and electoral ar- jurisdictions – municipalities and eas that make up the region. These electoral areas – that comprise jurisdictions collectively decide them. what their regional districts should As noted, regional districts were and should not do. fi rst introduced in the mid-1960s. It is this reliance on their member Numerous legislative changes that jurisdictions for authority to act have occurred since that time have that makes regional districts dis- modifi ed the way in which re- tinct from regional governments in gional districts act, and the range other provinces. Regional govern- of requirements placed on regional ments elsewhere are typically set districts by the provincial govern- up with exclusive legislated powers ment. The changes that have taken are elected directly to the Board Regional districts in BC operate in to provide specifi c services or take place, however, have not funda- by the electors in the areas they accordance with the Board-CAO certain actions. In BC, the pro- mentally altered the basic nature represent. model of government. The central vincial government does mandate of regional districts. They continue feature of this model is the separa- regional districts to undertake to function as federations of mem- Each Board of Directors is headed tion of governance and administra- certain functions. On the whole, ber jurisdictions, in place to serve by a Chair, who is also the Chief tion. The Board is the governing however, regional districts act only the needs and interests of their Executive Offi cer of the regional body in the model, responsible for in response to the expressed needs members. district. Each year, the Board setting a vision, developing strat- and instructions of the individual elects one Director to serve as egies to achieve the vision, and Chair and another to serve as formulating policies. The Chief Vice-Chair. Administrative Offi cer (CAO) is Most regional districts have vari- the professional manager, respon- how do they work? ous committees and commissions sible for the administration of the to assist the Board in its decision- regional district. The CAO imple- ritish Columbia’s regional dis- regional districts. At the top of the making. Committees are