Local
Government in Saskatchewan
An Instructional Resource for Grade 12
Back to: Curriculum
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How
Was This Instructional Resource Developed?
Local
Government in Saskatchewan: An Instructional Resource for Grade 12 was
developed through a collaboration among six Saskatchewan organizations:
Federation
of Saskatchewan Indian Nations (FSIN)
Saskatchewan
Association of Health Organizations (SAHO)
Saskatchewan
Association of Rural Municipalities (SARM)
Saskatchewan
Learning (SaskLearning)
Saskatchewan
School Trustees Association (SSTA)
Saskatchewan
Urban Municipalities Association (SUMA)
More
detailed information about the mandate of each of these organizations and the
services it provides can be found in the Appendix
at the end of this instructional resource. Each of these organizations
contributed staff time, ideas and other resources to this project. Drafts
of this resource were reviewed by representatives of these organizations.
Why
is Local Government Important?
The local community
is where good citizenship begins. Students of every age can contribute to
their community through participation in community projects and volunteer work.
Local government is
an important dimension of community. Decisions made by mayor, chief, or
reeve and their councils affect the daily lives of students. For example,
students rely on the fire department to keep their homes safe. They need
safe water and adequate sewage disposal for good health. Students use
facilities such as public libraries and swimming pools provided by local
government. They travel on roads and walk on sidewalks maintained by local
government.
Decisions made by
boards of education affect students’ everyday lives. For example, the
textbooks that students read are provided by the board of education.
Health region boards make decisions about allocation of resources that influence
the health care services available in local committees.
Because many of the
services provided by local government are practical, concrete and real, even the
youngest child can understand and relate to them.
Local government
occurs close to home, so there may be opportunities for students to meet elected
officials, to observe or read about council meetings, and to debate local
issues. These real-life experiences can help create a sense of connection
to the democratic process. They can build and strengthen students’
commitment to citizenship, both as a participant and as a leader.
Students will
benefit from learning more about local government. They will have a better
understanding of how their community works, and they may come to realize that
their participation in local government as a voter or elected official can make
a difference.
Communities and the province as a whole will also benefit when students learn about local government. The students of today are the mayors/chiefs/reeves, councillors, school trustees and health board members of tomorrow. They are the people who will lobby for change, lead delegations and vote in the years ahead. The better that young people are prepared for these roles, the stronger our communities will be.
Local
Government in Saskatchewan: An Instructional Resource for Grade 12 is
intended to supplement the existing Saskatchewan Grade 12 Social Studies
Curriculum Guide. Students learn about the Canadian government in Grade 12
and the provincial government in Grade 4, so this instructional resource on
local government can be used to enhance and enrich students’ knowledge of
government.
How
is This Instructional Resource Organized?
This
instructional resource covers six topics:
What
are the types of government in Canada?
What
do local and First Nations governments do?
What
are citizens’ rights and responsibilities in local and First Nations
government?
What
do boards of education do?
What
do health boards do?
What
are the responsibilities of a leader?
Each
of the six topics is organized in a similar manner.
Teacher
Information – is intended for the teacher’s use. Each Teacher
Information section includes:
Concepts
– are the “big ideas” addressed in each topic. Students are
expected to know these main ideas when they have completed each topic.
Overview
– puts the material covered in the topic into context.
Curriculum
Connections – provides links to Saskatchewan curricula where ideas and
themes relevant to local and First Nations government also addressed.
These curricula may offer additional sources of information for the teacher.
Possible
Activities – consists of ideas for classroom activities that teachers
can do with their students. A range of activities are provided so that
teachers can select the ones most suitable for their students and their
situation.
Student Backgrounder – provides students with basic information about various aspects of Canadian government. The Student Backgrounder may be photocopied and distributed to students as background information for each topic. Students should read this material and keep it for ongoing reference.
Using This Instructional Resource
Teachers
will use this instructional resource in different ways. You can:
teach
all topics in the resource in sequence
teach
only one or two topics that relate to current events in the community
use
several learning activities that relate to current events in the community
use
several learning activities for each topic you teach
select
just a few learning activities for the topics you teach.
This
resource is intended to complement, supplement and enrich the ongoing classroom
program. Use the topics and learning activities that are appropriate for your
students, your community and your instructional program.
A
section called For More Information
appears at the end of this instructional resource. It includes websites
where more information about the topics covered in the resource can be found.
It also provides URLs for the full text of all legislation mentioned in this
resource. All websites listed are suitable for both teacher and student
use.
Teaching
About First Nations Government
Many
Saskatchewan teachers have First Nations students in their classrooms.
When teaching about First Nations government, ask questions and give assignments
to all students in turn. Don’t expect First Nations students to do all
assignments relating to First Nations government, and don’t expect them to
have extensive personal knowledge of First Nations issues. Singling out
First Nations students (or any other group of students) can make them feel
uncomfortable.
Note:
This resource highlights First Nations governments and the major local
government organizations that provide services to their communities.
Although other groups may exist, they are not detailed here.
Topic 1: What Are the Types of Government in Canada?
Teacher Information | ||
Concepts |
Canadians have organized themselves into different types of government to
meet some of their needs.* Each type of government has specific responsibilities. |
|
Overview | This topic sets the stage for the rest of the unit. It shows where each type of government fits into the total Canadian picture and provides background information for the topics that follow. | |
Curriculum Connections |
For
more information about:
|
*
The wording of the first concept above is adapted from Teaching About Local
Government in Alberta, page 8, by Alberta Education and Alberta Municipal
Affairs. 1999. Edmonton, Alberta. Adapted with permission from
Alberta Learning.
Possible Activities
1.
Distribute the Student Backgrounder – What
Are the Types of Government in Canada? Review it with
students as necessary to check their understanding of key points. Ask
questions like the following for each type of government, “What is the head of
the federal government called? What are some things the federal government
does? “Where is the headquarters of the government located?”
2. Ask students to complete a chart like the one below which contrasts and compares the types of Canadian Government.** They can use the information in the Student Backgrounder, library books and the Internet.
Federal | Provincial | Urban and Rural Municipalities | First Nations | Board of Education | Regional Health Authority Board | |
Type of official head | ||||||
Name of legislative bodies | ||||||
Titles of representatives in legislative bodies | ||||||
Areas of responsibility |
** Activity #2 is adapted from Saskatchewan Grade Eight Social Studies Curriculum Guide, Saskatchewan Learning. Used with permission.
Below
are some possible ways that information about the types of government can be
categorized.
|
Federal |
Provincial |
Urban and Rural Municipalities |
First Nations |
Board of Education |
Regional Health Authority Board |
Official Head |
- Queen - Governor General - Prime Minister |
- Lieutenant Governor - Premier |
- Mayor (town/city/village) - Reeve (rural municipality) |
- Chief |
- Chairperson |
- Chairperson |
Name of legislative bodies |
- House of Commons - Senate |
- Legislative Assembly |
- City, Town or Village Council - Municipal Council |
- Band Council |
- Board of Education (also called school board) |
- Regional Health Authority Board (also called health board) |
Titles of representatives in legislative bodies |
- Members of Parliament (MPs) - Senators |
- Members of Legislative (MLAs) |
- Councillors or alderman (in cities, towns, villages) - Councillors (in rural municipalities) |
- Councillors (sometimes called headmen or headwomen) |
- School trustees |
- Members of the Health Board |
Areas of responsibility |
The
federal government is responsible for things that affect Canada as a
whole. These include
defense, international trade, international relations, customs,
immigration, currency, the RCMP, the CBC, Canada Post, the Trans-Canada
highway, fisheries, First Nations affairs, national parks, the Canadian
constitution, patents for inventors. |
Provincial
government responsibilities are defined in the BNA
Act, 1867. These
include health care, hospitals, education, forestry, agriculture,
tourism, environmental protection, provincial parks, provincial
highways, social services. |
Urban
and rural municipalities are responsible for things that affect the
daily lives of people in the municipality, for example, fire department,
police services, streets and roads, building standards and inspections,
water and sewer, libraries, recreation facilities. They also focus on economic development – measures to improve
the economic |
First
Nations governments are responsible for all aspects of First Nations
life. They have the same
responsibilities as urban and rural municipalities, plus education,
housing and, sometimes, social services. Their responsibilities include economic development on the First
Nation. First Nations also
deal with federal and provincial governments regarding matters like
governance and treaty rights. |
Boards of education govern
education in the local community. They: ·
hire teachers
and other staff ·
provide
resources for the educational program including facilities, books,
computers and sports equipment ·
organize
transportation. They
also make some decisions about the program of studies.
|
Regional
health authority boards are responsible for planning, coordinating and
overseeing the delivery of health services in each region of
Saskatchewan. |
3. Review with students the services that each type of government
provides. Ask students to cut
ads, announcements, etc. about community programs and services from the
newspaper. Then ask students to
categorize their clippings according to who provides the service. Some categories include federal government, provincial
government, municipal government, First Nations government, private business,
volunteer community. Ads can be
displayed on a poster called Services We
Need. For example:
An article about a
new hospital would go under the heading Provincial Government,
since health is a provincial responsibility.
An ad for wonderful
meals offered by a local restaurant would go under Private
Business.
An article about the
RCMP would go under the heading Federal
Government.
An article about
housing on a First Nation would go under the heading First Nations Government.
Placing an article about the construction of a new school or development of a new educational program will be a challenge. Both the provincial government and local boards of education make decisions about education and contribute money to the school system. Where should an article about education go?
4. Ask students, “What are the local and First Nation government bodies that provide services to you and you families?” The answer to this question might be different for each student. For example, a student who lives on a First Nation uses services provided by the First Nation. This student might drive on roads maintained by the rural municipality and on streets maintained by an urban municipality. Ask students to do this activity in groups of two or three.
What Are the Types of
Government in Canada?
Canada
is a representative democracy. This
means that power resides
in the people of the country. We
elect representatives to government
bodies who speak on our behalf. In
a democracy, government serves
two important functions:
Government provides
services that people need for a good quality of
life, for example, fire protection, police services, highways, health care,
education, parks and recreation facilities.
Government creates
and enforces laws and guidelines that allow people to live together in harmony and safety.
There
are four types of government in Canada: federal, provincial/territorial, local and First Nations.
Also, in Saskatchewan, boards of education and health boards
have responsibility for many aspects of education and health care.
Each
of these types of government is described below.
Federal Government **
The
responsibilities of the federal government were first defined in 1867 by the British North America Act, 1867.
The federal government is
responsible for things that affect all of Canada. These include defense, foreign policy, citizenship,
international trade, customs, immigration, the RCMP, the CBC, Canada Post, the
Trans-Canada Highway, fisheries, First Nations affairs, national parks, the
Canadian constitution, patents for inventors.
The headquarters of the federal
government is in Ottawa at the Parliament Buildings.
Canada has a system of parliamentary government. Parliament has three parts: the Queen, the House of Commons and the Senate.
Her Majesty Queen
Elizabeth II is our Head of State. The
Governor General of Canada is the Queen’s representative in Canada.
Canadians elect
representatives to the House of Commons. The elected representatives are called Members of Parliament (MPs).
The Prime Minister is the leader of the political party with the most
elected Members of Parliament sitting in the House of Common.
The people who serve
in the Senate are chosen by the Prime Minister and appointed by the Governor
General. They are called
Senators.
|
Federal Elections
Canadians
vote in elections for the people they want to represent them in Parliament.
With each election, the people may re-elect the same Members of Parliament
(MPs) or choose new ones. Federal
elections are usually held every four years, but the Prime Minister may ask
the Governor General to call an earlier election. According to Canada’s constitution, an election must be held within
five years of the last election.
Canada
is divided into over 300 electoral districts. An electoral district is a geographical area represented by a member of
the House of Commons. The
citizens of each electoral district elect one Member of Parliament, who sits
in the House of Commons. Any
Canadian citizen who is at least 18 years old can run in a federal election.
The people who run for office are called candidates. There can be many
candidates in an electoral district. |
The
people in each electoral district vote for a candidate of their choice. The candidate who receives the most votes becomes the MP for that
electoral district. An elected MP
represents everyone who lives in his or her electoral district, even the
people who did not vote for the MP. An
MP is the people’s link to the federal government. An MP helps by:
Representing
citizens’ interests when new laws are being considered.
Asking questions
about the government on behalf of its citizens.
Helping individuals
who need information from the government or who have problems with the
government.
People
can vote in a federal election if they are:
Canadian citizens
at least 18 years of
age.
Federal Political Parties
Most
candidates in federal elections belong to a political party. A political party is a group of people who share ideas about how
society should be organized and about the role that government should play in
society. Some political parties
have been around for a long time, but Canadians can and do create new
political parties at any time.
Before
an election, the members of a political party make plans for what they will do
if their candidates are elected to form the government. The plans they make
are called the party platform.
Members
of political parties help to:
decide on the party
platform
choose the party
leader
choose the party’s
candidates
campaign for party
candidates in elections.
Candidates
who do not belong to a political party are called independent candidates.
Organizing the Federal
Government
After a federal election, the party with the most elected representatives becomes the party in power, and forms a Government.
The
leader of this party becomes the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister and the party in power run the Government as long as
they have the support of the majority of MPs in the House of Commons.
The
Prime Minister chooses several MPs to become cabinet ministers. Cabinet ministers are responsible for running federal government
departments. The Prime Minister
and cabinet ministers together are called the Cabinet and make important
decisions about how to run the country. They also propose most new laws.
Their decisions can be questioned by all MPs in the House of Commons.
If
a majority of the MPs vote against an important Government decision, the party
in power is defeated. The Prime Minister resigns and a new election is usually
held.
The
parties that are not in power are called the opposition parties. The opposition party with the most MPs is the Official Opposition.
The opposition parties often have differing views from the party in
power. They may have different
ideas about the way that society should be organized, the role that government
should play in society and the services that government should provide. They may challenge Government proposals or support them, depending on
the situation.
**
Description of the federal government adapted from Saskatchewan
Grade Eight Social Studies Curriculum Guide. Saskatchewan Learning,
Regina, Saskatchewan. Used with
permission.
Provincial
Government
The responsibilities of the
provincial government are defined in Section 92 of the
British North America Act, 1867. Provincial
responsibilities include health care, hospitals, forestry, agriculture,
tourism, environmental protection, provincial parks, provincial highways,
social services, natural resources, licencing of shops, bars and taverns.
In some cases, the provincial government shares responsibility with other levels of government. For example, both the federal and provincial government have some responsibilities for agriculture. Both the provincial government and local government (boards of education) have responsibilities for education. Both contribute money for schools and teachers’ salaries and each makes decisions about certain aspects of education.
The headquarters of
Saskatchewan’s provincial government is at the Legislative Building in
Regina. Saskatchewan’s
government has two parts: the
Queen and the Legislative Assembly.
The Lieutenant
Governor is the Queen’s representative in Saskatchewan.
Saskatchewan people
elect representatives to the Legislative Assembly. They are called Members of the Legislative
Assembly (MLAs). The Premier is the leader of the political party with the most elected
members in the legislature.
Provincial Elections
The
provincial political process is quite similar to the federal process described
previously.
Saskatchewan is
divided into constituencies. The
people of each constituency elect one MLA who sits in the Legislative
Assembly.
Most candidates in a
provincial election belong to a political party. Provincial political parties may be the same or different from federal
political parties. Candidates who
do not belong to a political party are called independents.
After an election,
the party with the most elected MLAs becomes the party in power, and forms a
Government. The leader of this
party becomes the Premier. MLAs
who belong to other parties are called the Opposition.
The Government makes
decisions about the role that Government will play in society, and about the
programs and services it will provide to the public. The Government also proposes new laws.
The Opposition may oppose or support Government proposals.
In order to vote in a
Saskatchewan provincial election you must:
be a Canadian
citizen
be at least 18 years
old
have lived in
Saskatchewan for at least six months before the election
|
Local Government Local
government is sometimes called municipal government. Local government is responsible for serving citizens in a particular
area of the province. There are
two types of municipalities in Saskatchewan:
Each
of these types of government provides services to a community or certain
geographic area of the province. Urban Municipalities Cities, towns, villages and resort villages are known as urban municipalities. (A resort village is a village near a lake or other vacation spot where most people live only during the summer months or the weekends.) |
Urban municipalities are responsible for providing services to the people who live within their boundaries.
They provide fire
protection and police services, maintain streets, roads, traffic lights, and
the water and sewer system.
They organize garbage pick up and disposal; maintain city/town parks, skating rinks, curling rinks and recreation centres and public libraries.
They can pass bylaws relating to store hours, business licences, public safety, inspection of buildings and similar matters.
Most urban municipalities also
focus on the economic development of their community. Economic development
includes a range of activities that:
bring jobs to the
community or keep existing jobs
encourage businesses
and industries to start up or relocate to the community
train local people
so they have the skills to work in businesses and industries.
The
responsibilities of urban municipalities are specified in The
Urban Municipality Act, 1984.
The
Cities Act, 2003 was
proclaimed in January 2003. Unlike
other municipal acts, The Cities Act
does not automatically apply to all cities in Saskatchewan. A city council must pass a resolution to bring a city under the Act’s
jurisdiction.
Urban
municipalities have a council that consists of a mayor and:
two councillors (may
be increased to four by bylaw) in villages and resort villages.
six councillors in
towns and cities.
All urban councils can change the number of councillors to any even number, by passing a bylaw. In some urban municipalities the councillors are called aldermen.
Elections
are held every three years.
In
order to vote in an election in an urban municipality, you must be:
18 years old
a Canadian citizen
and either:
a resident of the
municipality for at least three months and a resident of Saskatchewan for at
least six months
or
the owner of
assessable land located in the municipality for at least three months and a
resident of Saskatchewan for at least six months.
In
Saskatchewan, the candidates in municipal elections don’t usually align
themselves with federal or provincial political parties, but occasionally a
few candidates will identify themselves as a group with common beliefs and
give themselves a name.
Most
council meetings are open to the public. Anyone can come to observe meetings, and groups or individuals can make
presentations to mayor and council on various issues. In the cities, council meetings are usually televised.
Rural Municipalities
Rural
municipalities (RMs) cover rural areas of southern and central Saskatchewan.
Many of the people who live in rural municipalities live on farms. Sometimes in rural municipalities that are near cities, the land will
be divided into lots or acreages. Most
people who live on these small parcels of land drive into the city for work.
The rural municipality is
responsible for making decisions about matters of local concern. A rural municipality’s responsibilities
include:
providing fire
protection
maintaining streets
and roads within its boundaries (except for provincial highways)
passing bylaws
concerning traffic control and safety
licensing businesses
that operate in the municipality
controlling stray
animals
making regulations
for public safety.
Rural
municipalities, like urban municipalities, also emphasize economic
development. They often undertake activities to improve the economic
well-being of people who live in the community.
The responsibilities of rural municipalities are defined in The Rural Municipality Act, 1989.
The
government of a rural municipality consists of a reeve (head) and councillors.
Each rural municipality is given a number. In even-numbered years, elections are held for all reeves and
for the councillors of odd-numbered municipalities. In odd-numbered years, elections are held for councillors of
even-numbered municipalities. The
term office in a rural municipality is two years.
In
order to vote in an election in a rural municipality, a person must:
be at least 18 years
old
have lived in the RM
for at least six months.
In
some circumstances, people (and their spouses) who own land in the RM but do
not live there are also eligible to vote.
People
who run in elections in rural municipalities usually do not affiliate
themselves with a political party. They
run as individuals and base their election platform on local issues.
Rural
municipalities cover the central and southern part of Saskatchewan. Residents of northern communities may petition the provincial
government to become northern hamlets, villages or towns if they meet certain
requirements.
First Nations
There
are 74 First Nations in Saskatchewan. The
members of each First Nation are Registered Indians as defined by the Indian Act.
A chief and
council govern each First Nation. They
are elected by the members of the First Nation. In Saskatchewan, there are approximately 500 elected chiefs
and councillors, of whom approximately 18 percent are women.
The
responsibilities of a chief and council on a First Nation are broader than
those of the councils of urban and rural municipalities.
The chief and council are responsible for all aspects of First Nation life. They look after housing, education and, sometimes, social services in addition to all the services that an urban and rural municipality is responsible for. Their job also includes economic development – creating jobs, promoting business and generally improving the economic well-being of the people living on the First Nation.
The
chief and council of a First Nation deal with federal and provincial
governments concerning governance matters, treaty rights and economic
development. Thus, their mandate
includes responsibilities that link them to other types of government.
The chief and council of a First Nation were not always elected as they are today. Traditionally, Saskatchewan’s First Nations had hereditary chiefs. Usually the firstborn son of a chief was trained from childhood in the duties and responsibilities of chief. A new chief took office when his father died and was usually middle-aged or even elderly when he assumed the responsibility. Thus, he brought a lot of training and experience to the job.
|
The
Indian Act replaced the traditional hereditary system with a system of elections. First
Nations have two options for election processes. They can:
Some
members of a First Nation live on First Nation land (sometimes called a
reserve); others live in cities and towns throughout Saskatchewan. All members are eligible to vote at election time.
The First Nation sends out letters to all its members telling them
about the day and place of the election.
There are between four and twelve councillors (sometimes called headmen and headwomen). The chief and councillors usually serve two- to four-year terms. Candidates for the position of chief and council do not usually affiliate themselves with a particular political party. They usually run as individuals and respond to the needs and concerns of people on the First Nation. |
Boards of Education
In
urban and rural municipalities, boards of education are responsible for
delivering the educational program.
There are two types of school divisions in Saskatchewan – public school divisions and separate school divisions. Separate school divisions are the responsibility of the religious minority in the area (usually the religious minority is Catholic). In addition, there is one francophone school board in Saskatchewan. It is called the conseil scolaire.
Each school division is governed by an elected board of education. Boards of education are sometimes called school boards. The members of
the board of education are called school trustees. The head of the board of education is called the chairperson.
Both the provincial government and the local board of education make decisions about education. For example, the provincial government decides on the curriculum that is to be used. The local board of education is responsible for delivering the educational program, hiring teachers, deciding on the number of schools, where the schools are to be located, and organizing school transportation.
Boards
of education also make some decisions about what will be taught. They are
required to offer the basic subjects specified in the program of studies, but
they can offer additional subjects if they wish. Under some circumstances,
locally developed courses can be offered in the schools.
School division elections are held every three years.
In order to vote in a school
division election you must be:
18 years of age
a Canadian citizen
a resident of the
school division for at least three months and a resident of Saskatchewan for
at least six months.
Candidates
for the position of school trustee do not usually affiliate themselves with
political parties. Usually each
person runs as an individual and presents his or her own election platform on
local educational issues and concerns.
Regional Health
Authority Boards
Saskatchewan
is divided into 12 health regions. A
regional health authority board has been appointed by the provincial
government to plan, coordinate and oversee the delivery of health services in
each region. The
regional health authority boards are usually just called health boards. Each regional health authority board has 12 members.
These people are simply called “members of the health board”. The head of the health board is called the chairperson.
The regional health authority boards are responsible for planning, organizing, delivering and evaluating health services within their boundaries. Although the members of the boards are appointed by the provincial government, citizens can influence decisions made by regional health authority boards. The meetings are open to the public and anyone can come and observe the meetings. Media representatives often attend these meetings and prepare reports for the local newspaper or TV station. Individual citizens or groups of citizens can make presentations to the board about issues that concern them. Also the regional health authority boards are required by law to set up community advisory networks to give them advice.
Topic 2: What Do Local and First Nations Governments Do?
Teacher Information | ||
Concepts |
Local and First Nations governments provide services that people need. Local
and First Nations governments make decisions that affect the local
community. The decisions made by local and First Nations governments affect each person in the community. |
|
Overview | This topic emphasizes that local and First Nations governments provide services that people need and pass bylaws to keep people safe. It describes the processes that local and First Nation governments use to make decisions and the source of local and First Nations government funds. | |
Curriculum Connections |
|
Possible
Activities
1.
Distribute the Student Backgrounder –
What
Do Local and First Nations Governments Do? Review it with
students as necessary to check their understanding. Ask questions like,
“What are some services a rural municipality provides to its citizens?”
“What process does the chief and council of a First Nation use to make
decisions?”
2.
Have students simulate a local government meeting by debating a local issue
(real or hypothetical) and passing a motion. Real issues can be those that the
local municipality or First Nation is presently addressing. Hypothetical
issues might include:
Using
pesticides to control weeds in local parks. Some people support this
idea and some are opposed.
Passing
a bylaw that prohibits loud noise after 10:00 p.m.
Spending
money on new road/street signs.
Do
appropriate research beforehand and follow parliamentary procedure during the
meeting.*
Ensure
that all students have a role during the activity. One can be
mayor/chief/reeve. Some can be councillors. A couple of students can
be local government officials who are keeping notes. Two or three can be
media reporters who are observing the meeting, making notes and taking
photographs. The rest can divide up into groups of two to six and
represent interest groups that make presentations to council.
3.
Analyze a local government decision (real or hypothetical). How will it
affect various groups of people in the community? For example, how will it
affect children, teen-agers, parents, seniors? How will it affect business
owners, homeowners, renters? Will it raise or lower taxes, increase or
decrease services? *
4.
Visit city hall, RM office, band office, etc. Meet with mayor/chief/reeve,
one or more councillors, one or more senior administrators. Ask each
person detailed questions about what they do. For example, students might
ask questions about:
The
work the official does during council meetings.
Reading
and research the official does to prepare for meetings.
How
the official collects information about the public’s opinions.
What
the official considers his/her most important responsibilities to be.
Who
the official is responsible to for the decisions s/he makes.
Who
(if anybody) reports to the official.
Then
have students write a job description for each of these people. *
5. Observe a meeting of town/city/RM/band council. (These are open to the public and are televised in several cities) What were the issues discussed? What were the various positions on each issue? How was the issue decided? If you were making a decision about each of the issues discussed at the meeting, what would you decide? Why? How would your decision affect various groups of people in the community – in the short-term? In the long-term?
6.
Introduce the concept of mill rate. Rural and urban municipalities set a mill
rate each year (number of dollars of tax for each $1,000 of assessed property
value). (First Nations don’t have the power to tax.) Find out what
the mill rate is in your municipality. Assume that next year the mill rate
goes up and taxes increase. What will this mean for property owners, for
people who use services like the fire department, streets, roads, garbage
collection, libraries? If the mill rate goes down, what would the decrease
mean for each of these groups of people?
7. First Nations governments do not tax. They receive an allocation of money from the federal government. The allocation is based primarily on the size of the population. The chief and council must decide how this allocation will be used. If more money is spent on one service, then less must be spent on other services. Have students assume the role of chief and council of a First Nation. Several interest groups are lobbying for expansion of various community services. There isn’t enough money to respond to all these requests. How do you decide on services to be provided, services to be reduced? What research do you do? Who do you talk to?
8. Debate (or write a position paper on) the following topic: Lowering local taxes is always a good thing.
9.
Organize students into groups of three or four. They are to pretend they
are subcommittees of council. Each subcommittee is to research all the
actual costs associated with a particular real or hypothetical service and
prepare a yearly budget for the service. For example, the committee
researching the fire department would need to find out the costs of trucks
(amortized over several years), the cost of gas and truck maintenance, salaries
and benefits, the cost of maintaining a fire hall, etc.
* Activities 2, 3 and 4 have been adapted from Teaching About Local Government in Alberta, pages 75, 92, 153-155, by Alberta Education and Alberta Municipal Affairs. 1999. Edmonton, Alberta. Adapted with permission from Alberta Learning.
What Do
Local and First Nations Governments Do?
Local and First Nations governments are the governments that are closest to the people. The representatives of these types of governments live in your community; you probably see them downtown and at community functions. Meetings are held in the local area, so it is easier to attend as an observer or to make a presentation to a local government body.
The
Role of Local and First Nations Governments
Local
and First Nations governments have three important jobs:
1. They provide services that people need for safety and for a good quality of life. These services include the fire department, police services, and maintenance of streets and roads. First Nations governments are also responsible for housing, education and, sometimes, social services.
2. They establish bylaws or regulations to promote health and safety, for example, many municipalities and First Nations have bylaws about animals running loose, parking, and safety issues such as the use of firearms. They sometimes hire officials to enforce these bylaws.
3.
They focus on the economic development of their community. Economic
development includes a range activities that improve the economic well-being of
individuals, citizens and the community as a whole. Governments may
emphasize: |
|
bringing
jobs to the community or keeping existing jobs
encouraging
businesses and industries to start up or relocate to the community
training
local people so they have the skills needed to work in businesses and
industry or to start their own businesses.
Planning for Services
Local
and First Nations governments make decisions carefully and try to get input from
the public. Individual councillors often ask people what they think about a
particular issue. Individuals or groups sometimes make presentations or
write to mayor and council (or chief and council) on specific issues.
If
an issue is technical in nature, council often gets advice from an engineer or
other specialist. This would be the case, for example, if council was
considering upgrading a water treatment plant or renovating a large building.
Sometimes public opinion is deeply divided on an issue. For example, one
group of people might strongly support a bylaw that forbids use of pesticides on
lawns; another group of people might be vehemently opposed to such a bylaw.
One group of people might want a new park created in a particular area of the
community, another group might be strongly opposed because they think it will
cause noise and traffic. In these situations, it is very difficult for
council to make a decision that pleases everyone.
The
mayor/reeve/chief and council discuss issues among themselves at meetings.
Sometimes they all agree on how a particular matter is to be handled, but
sometimes there is disagreement and lots of debate. When there is
disagreement, council sometimes seeks a compromise that both sides can accept,
but other times there is a vote and losers of the vote are expected to accept
the decision graciously.
The
mayor/reeve/chief and council make decisions through motions or resolutions.
For example, one member of council might say, ”I move we accept the budget
proposed for next year.”
The
procedures after a motion is made vary. Urban municipalities, rural
municipalities and First Nations may all have slightly different processes.
The process may be different for different types of motions. However, in
all situations, there is opportunity for discussion and a vote is held.
In
urban and rural municipalities, council is rarely responsible for implementing
their decisions on a day-to-day basis. Most communities have hired staff who
implement the decisions that council makes. This chief of staff is as
follows:
Towns
– town administrator
Villages – village clerk
Rural
municipalities – RM administrator
Cities
– city manager.
Large
First Nations usually have a band manager or chief of operations.
Decisions made by chief and council are passed to this person for day-to-day
implementation. Some small First Nations do not have a paid band manager.
In these communities, the chief and council become responsible for actual
implementation of the decisions they make. |
|
Paying for Services
Urban
and Rural Municipalities
In
order to pay for the services they offer to citizens, rural and urban
municipalities tax property located within their boundaries.
Taxation
has three components:
assessment
of property,
planning
for services to be provided each year, and
setting
a mill rate in order to raise money to pay for the services.
Taxation starts with assessment. Residential and business property are
appraised and given an assessed value which reflects what the property would
sell for. Farmland is assessed according to typical market value for land
of known productivity. Productivity means the amount of wheat that can be
produced or the number of cattle supported. Property is reassessed every
four years.
Once
the mayor/reeve and council have consulted with the community and decided on the
services to be provided, they figure out how much this package of services will
cost. The next step is to figure out the amount of taxes each property
owner must contribute so that the municipality will have enough money to provide
the services. This involves setting a mill rate.
The
mill rate is the number of dollars of tax for each one thousand dollars of
property value. For example, a mill rate of 10 means that $10 of taxes
will be collected for every $1,000 of the assessed value of a property. A
mill rate of 25 means that $25 of taxes will be collected for every $1,000 of
the assessed value of property.
For
example, if the assessed value of a piece of property is $50,000 and the mill
rate is 10, the taxes will be $500. If the assessed value of a house and
lot is $90,000 and the mill rate is 25, the property taxes will be $2,250.
Often
the mayor/reeve and council consider the services to be provided and the mill
rate at the same time. If citizens consider a service really important,
they are often willing to pay more tax. If citizens say that the mill rate
(and thus the amount of tax they pay) is too high, then mayor/reeve and council
ask them which services should be reduced or cut in order to keep taxes low.
|
Even
people who do not own property pay property tax indirectly. For example,
if a landlord’s property taxes go up or down, renters living in apartments
owned by that landlord can expect their rent to increase or decrease.
Similarly, if the property taxes that the owner of a hair salon pays go up or down, so might the price of a haircut. |
First Nations
First Nations have the power to set up regimes to levy property taxes. To date, they have chosen not to exercise this power. They receive funding allocations from the federal government. This is because the 1867 British North America Act (BNA Act), which created Canada as an independent country, passed responsibility for First Nations people, including Aboriginal rights, from the British to the Canadian federal government.
The
British North America Act, 1867 91.
It shall be lawful for the Queen, by and with the Advice and Consent of
the Senate and House of Commons, to make laws for the Peace, Order, and
good Government of Canada, in relation to all Maters not coming within the
Classes of Subjects by this Act assigned exclusively to the Legislatures
of the Provinces; and for greater certainty, but not so as to restrict the
Generality of the foregoing Terms of this Section, it is hereby declared
that (notwithstanding anything in this Act) the exclusive Legislative
Authority of the Parliament of Canada extends to all Matters coming within
the Classes of Subjects next hereinafter enumerated; this is to say, --
… 24. Indians and Lands reserved for the Indians. |
First
Nations also receive federal funding because of treaty rights. The term
“treaty rights” refers to those guarantees explicitly and implicitly agreed
upon through the treaty process. Under the terms of the treaties, First
Nations peoples agreed to share the land in return for specific rights. The
leaders who signed the treaties noted that they were not signing the treaty for
themselves but, rather, for the children of future generations. The
treaties are like contracts in which both sides commit to certain obligations.
Aboriginal and treaty rights of First Nations peoples received recognition under
the Canadian Constitution in Section 35(1) of the Constitution Act, 1982.
The
Constitution Act, 1982
35.(1) The existing Aboriginal and treaty rights of the Aboriginal peoples of Canada are herby recognized and affirmed. |
The
amount of money that a First Nation receives in its allocation depends mostly on
its population. The allocation of money that a First Nation receives is
broken down into categories: housing, education, etc.
The
chief and council get input from the community about priorities. As in
every other community, there may be differences of opinion about needed
services.
Because
chief and council have a set amount of money to work with, expenditures in one
area may mean reductions in another. For example, they will need to decide
which houses are most in need of painting and which can wait until next year.
If
they decide that a summer soccer program is the highest priority to keep kids
busy during the summer months, there may be less money for the winter hockey
program.
Because the allocation they receive from the federal government is fixed, some First Nations are looking at additional ways of raising revenue to pay for needed services. For example, some have started businesses of various types that are owned by the First Nation.
Topic 3: What are Citizens' Rights and Responsibilities in Local Government?
Teacher Information | ||
Concepts |
Local and First Nations governments represent the people of the community. Individuals
have a responsibility to participate in local and First Nations democratic
processes. Individuals and groups can influence the decisions made by local and First Nations government. |
|
Overview | This topic emphasizes that local and First Nations governments represent the people of the community. Citizen participation is the foundation upon which local and First Nations governments are based. | |
Curriculum Connections |
For
additional information about:
|
Possible Activities
The activities below are grouped into two categories: basic activities and additional election year activities.
Basic Activities
1. Distribute the Student Backgrounder – What Are Citizens’ Rights and Responsibilities in Local and First Nations Government? Review it with students as necessary to check their understanding of key points.
2. Plan a campaign to influence local or First Nations government on a real or hypothetical issue. Have students plan a presentation to their local municipal council, First Nations chief and council, or city/town/village council. Students can choose an issue that concerns them, or one that is currently under discussion by council. As part of their preparation have students observe other delegations to council – in person or on TV (in larger communities). Ask students to make lists of behaviours that make a good impression on council and behaviours that make a bad impression. Encourage students to include the effective behaviours in their presentation. Make arrangements for students to deliver their presentation to council, to a service club or a group of parents.
3. Soon you will be able to vote. Imagine that a candidate for mayor/chief/reeve comes to your door. What questions would you ask the person about her/his position on services, bylaws, taxes?
4. Debate (or write a position paper on) this topic – “People who don’t vote in local elections shouldn’t complain about that government’s decisions.” As part of the research for this debate, find out the percentage of people who voted in the last municipal or First Nations election.
5. Imagine that you are running for mayor/chief/reeve. You are planning your election platform. What issues will you focus on? Why? What would your position be on each of the issues? Why? How would your platform affect various groups in the community? Write a speech that you could give at a community meeting. Prepare a written brochure or a script for a TV ad to support your campaign.
Additional Election
Year Activities
6. Select one candidate who is running for mayor/chief/reeve/councillor. Find out what that candidate’s position is on the issues (by watching the media, interviewing the candidate, and attending public meetings). Track the candidate’s campaign. What meetings does the candidate attend? What advertising does the candidate publish? Does the candidate put any ads on radio or TV? How does the candidate fare in the election?
7.
Select one controversial issue in the election. Why is this issue
controversial? Who does the issue affect? Find out what each
candidate’s position on the issue is. How is this issue decided in the
election?
8.
Organize an all-candidates forum at the school. Refer to Activity #10 (page 28)
in the next section for more information about the process of organizing an
all-candidates forum.
9.
After the election find out:
Who
won the election? By what percentage of votes?
What
are the winner’s positions on important issues?
What Are Citizens’
Rights and Responsibilities in Local and First Nations Government?
Canada
is a democracy that depends on its citizens to ensure that governments at all
levels reflect the wishes of the people.
The
rights and responsibilities of citizens in a democracy are described below.
These rights and responsibilities apply to local and First Nations governments
as well as to federal and provincial government.
Citizens
are expected:
To
be informed about the issues – Citizens have a responsibility to be
sure they are informed about the issues their local or First Nation
government is dealing with. They can do this by talking to local or First
Nations government representatives, reading the newspaper, watching TV, and
attending local government meetings as an observer. Most local and
First Nations government meetings are open to the public. When an
issue is controversial, citizens have a responsibility to get information
about both sides before making up their mind.
To
vote – Canada is a representative democracy which means that we elect
people who make decisions on our behalf. Voting is the basic
foundation of democracy. Everyone has both a right and a
responsibility to vote for the candidate(s) they feel will best represent
their point of view in government.
To
express their opinion to local and First Nations government leaders –
Local and First Nations government leaders try to provide services that meet
the needs of the community. As a citizen, you have a responsibility to
tell your elected representatives what services you need and how well
existing services are working for you. You also have a responsibility
to express your opinion on controversial issues. There are lots of
ways to make your opinions known. You can write or phone the
mayor/chief/reeve and councillors. You can make a presentation at a
council meeting. You can write letters to the editor or phone a radio
talk show. In smaller communities, you may meet local government
representatives informally in stores and restaurants and have opportunities
to talk casually with them.
To run for local government office – In order for democracy to work, citizens must be willing to run for mayor/reeve/chief and council. When you run for office you decide on a platform – your statement of what you believe the issues to be and of the action you will take regarding each issue. You let everyone in the community know you are running and mount a campaign to tell them why they should vote for you.
Candidates in local and First Nations elections use a variety of methods to reach voters. They usually go door-to-door and talk to individuals and families. They might put flyers in every mailbox, put up posters, or take out newspaper ads. TV and radio ads are less common in local and First Nations government elections because of their cost. Sometimes candidates get buttons or pins made to give away. Many communities organize one or more all-candidates meetings, where all candidates have an opportunity to speak.
In
larger communities, candidates in local and First Nations government elections
sometimes ask their supporters to help them. Supporters might put flyers
in mailboxes, for example, or go door-to-door speaking on behalf of the
candidate they support.
There
is a dollar cost when a campaign includes flyers, posters, buttons and the like.
In this case, candidates pay some of these costs themselves and sometimes ask
their supporters for financial contributions. |
|
Topic 4: What Do Boards of Education Do?
Teacher Information | ||
Concepts | Boards of education govern the operation of schools within their boundaries. | |
Overview | This topic describes the types of decisions that boards of education make about the schools within their boundaries and describes how schools are funded. | |
Curriculum Connections | None |
Possible
Activities
Basic Activities
1.Distribute
the Student Backgrounder – What
Do Boards of Education Do? Review it with students as
necessary to check their understanding of key points.
2.
Introduce the concept of boards of education, their roles and
responsibilities. Distinguish between provincial responsibilities and
local responsibilities for education. Emphasize that public and separate
boards of education have the right to tax to raise money to support
schools. (First Nations education councils do not tax.
Although First Nations have the authority to tax, to date they have chosen not
to do so.) First Nations receive an allocation of money from the federal
government. This allocation is provided because of the terms of the
Canadian Constitution and is a component of treaty rights.
3.
Describe the three types of boards of education: public, separate and
First Nations-controlled (sometimes called an education council). Public
and separate boards of education may have overlapping boundaries. On a
map, locate boundaries of the boards of education in your area of the
province. Ensure that students know the kind of board responsible for
their school.
4. What is one decision recently made by the board of education responsible for
your school? Get as much information about this decision as
possible. What were the circumstances leading up to the decision?
Then consider how this decision might affect students at various grade levels,
teachers, school bus drivers, parents, taxpayers, other groups in the community.
6. Assume you are a member of an education council on a First Nation. The allocation of money you receive for education is fixed and will not be changed. A group of community members is lobbying you hard to start a traditional dance program, so that students can perform throughout the region. This would mean purchasing costumes and drums, paying for dance instructors, paying for additional transportation, etc. If you start the dance program you will have to spend less money in some other area of the educational program. What do you do?
7. Soon you will be old enough to vote. Imagine that a candidate for a board of education election comes to your door. What questions would you ask the person about the school program, school facilities, busing, taxes?
8. Simulate a board of education meeting by debating a local educational issue (real or hypothetical) and passing a motion about the issue. Do appropriate research beforehand and follow parliamentary procedure during the meeting.
9.
Ask a school trustee to visit the class. The trustee can talk about:
The
most important decisions the board of education has made this year.
How
s/he makes decisions about controversial issues.
The
satisfaction and challenges of being a school trustee.
Additional Election Year Activities
10. Have students organize an all-candidates’ forum in your school. Invite everyone who is running for the board of education to attend and present their election platform. Ask someone who is respected in the community to chair the forum. This might be the school principal, the mayor, a local businessperson who is known to be fair and impartial. Ensure that all high school students attend the forum and invite parents and the public.
To
ensure maximum student learning from this event:
Set
up a student publicity committee. This committee’s job is to publicize the
forum throughout the community. Students must plan and implement the
publicity campaign.
Have
each student identify at least one question they would like to ask the
candidates. All students won’t be able to speak during the
forum. Therefore, in each class, pool the questions and select the two
or three questions that were identified most frequently. Appoint one
or two students to ask questions on behalf of the class during the forum.
After
the forum, assign students to write thank you letters to the candidates, and
articles for the school newsletter.
After the forum, ask each student to write a summary of at least one candidate’s platform. Students who are very interested can summarize all the candidates’ positions.
What Do Boards of
Education Do?
School Divisions
In
Saskatchewan, responsibility for education is shared between the provincial
government and boards of education that are elected to manage education in each
school division. (Boards of education are sometimes called school
boards.) For example, the provincial government establishes the curriculum
and boards of education are responsible for its delivery in the school
division. The Education Act 1995 (Section 85) lists the duties of
boards of education.
Boards
of education provide educational leadership within their own communities.
Together, all the boards of education in Saskatchewan play a major role in
shaping the present and future direction of education in this province.
Boards
of education are responsible for ensuring that every student receives an
appropriate education. The board of education is responsible for approving
the program of studies and ensuring that resources are available to support the
learning program. The resources needed for education include:
teachers,
principals and other staff
books,
videos, computer software and other learning resources
computer,
sports and science equipment
school
facilities including the school building itself, desks and other furniture.
The board of education also organizes transportation, so that students can
attend school.
Boards
of education face many challenges:
Community
members may have widely differing opinions about what a good education is.
Boards
try to raise student achievement and at the same time keep costs reasonable.
The
amount of money available for education is limited and possible expenditures
often exceed the available funds. Therefore, the board has to make
decisions about the best ways to spend the money they have.
Boards of education usually gather public opinion and get factual information
before they make decisions. For example:
Individuals
and groups sometimes make presentations to the board on issues that are
important to them. The board listens, asks questions and reads any
background information provided.
The
board may do a survey or hold public meetings when an issue is controversial
or affects the entire community.
Boards
may consult with the director of education, school principals and teachers
to get factual information or opinion. For example, they may ask the
director of education to prepare a report on how other school divisions have
handled particular issues.
If
the issue being discussed is technical in nature, the board may ask for
advice from a specialist. For example, if they are discussing repairs
to the plumbing or electrical wiring of a school or the purchase of a
new computer system, the board may ask for advice from engineers or other
technical experts.
Rural boards of
education may ask for advice from district boards of trustees. Many
rural school divisions include several communities and cover a large
geographic area. Within most rural school divisions, there are smaller
school districts. Each school district represents a separate community
or a small geographic area. Each school district has an elected
district board of trustees. The role of these district boards of trustees is
primarily advisory. They may advise the board of education on matters
like staffing, budgets and programs.
City
boards of education may ask for advice from local school advisory
committees. Urban school divisions do not have smaller school
districts or district boards of trustees. In cities, a local school advisory
committee made up of parents and community members advise the board of
education. Usually each school has a separate local school advisory
committee. These committees may be appointed or elected, depending on the
school.
After
the board of education has made a decision, responsibility for implementing the
decision is passed to the director of education, principals, teachers and other
staff. Most boards of education have limited involvement in the day-to-day
operations of the school division.
Boards
of education raise money to pay for the educational programs in the school
division by levying a property tax on the property within their boundaries.
Each
year, the board of education decides on the educational priorities for the next
year. A lot of public consultation usually occurs before final decisions
about educational priorities and programs are made.
When
the educational priorities and program for the year have been established,
school division staff figure out how much the program will cost, then a mill
rate is set to raise the money to pay for the program. The mill rate is
the number of dollars of tax for each one thousand dollars of property
value. For example, a mill rate of 12 means that $12 of taxes will be
collected for every $1,000 of the assessed value of property. A mill rate
of 30 means that $30 of taxes will be collected for every $1,000 of the assessed
value of property.
Sometimes
the local board of education considers educational priorities and the mill rate
at the same time. If an educational service or program is very important
to the community, then citizens may be willing to pay more taxes. If
citizens say that the proposed mill rate (and thus the amount of tax they pay)
is too high, then the board of education will ask citizens to suggest how
programs can be changed in order to lower the mill rate.
Once
the school mill rate is set, the urban or rural municipality collects the school
tax on behalf of the board of education when it collects municipal taxes.
Each taxpayer gets one local tax bill.
First Nations
Each
First Nation has an education committee. The education committee is
sometimes called the board of education depending on local preference. The
education committee may be elected by the people of the First Nation or
appointed by the chief and council.
The
education committee is responsible for ensuring that students from Kindergarten
to Grade 12 who live on the First Nation receive an appropriate education.
They also look after post-secondary education for all their members, including
the members who do not live on the First Nation. They make decisions about
education for their First Nation. First Nations education committees face
many of the same challenges as boards of education. People have different
opinions about what a good education is. The money available for education
is limited so they must decide on the best uses for the money they have.
In
Saskatchewan, First Nations receive an allocation of money from the federal
government for education, because First Nations people are a federal
responsibility and because of treaty rights. The treaties are like
contracts in which both sides commit to specific obligations and
responsibilities. The amount of the allocation depends mostly on the
number of students to be educated.
When
the First Nation has a significant number of school-age members, the federal
government provides money for a school. Then the education committee hires
teachers, oversees the educational program, arranges for purchase of books and
equipment, and plans for student transportation and school maintenance.
When
the number of school-age youth living on the First Nation is considered too
small to warrant a school, students are bussed to a nearby school operated by a
school division. The First Nation pays the school division a fee for the
educational services it provides.
The
amount of money that a First Nation receives for education is a fixed
allocation, so the education committee has to set priorities. If they buy
a new computer system for the school, there may be less money to spend on books
and videos. If they decide to hire more teachers in order to have smaller
classes, they will have to spend less money elsewhere.
Like other local government bodies that serve the community, the education committee on a First Nation usually gets input from parents, the community as a whole, students and school staff before they make decisions about educational priorities. |
|
Topic 5: What Do Health Boards Do?
Teacher
Information |
||
Concepts |
Health boards make decisions about health services for their region.
Health boards must decide how the resources available to them will be used for maximum benefit to the community. |
|
Overview | This topic describes what health boards are and what they do. It emphasizes that health boards must sometimes make difficult decisions. | |
Curriculum Connections |
For
more information about:
|
Possible
Activities
1. Distribute the Student Backgrounder – What Do Health Boards Do? Review it with students to check their understanding of key points.
2.
Have students contact the local health region office or use the Internet to find
out:
the
name of the health region they live in
the
geographic boundaries of their health region
the
names of some of the hospitals, nursing homes, etc. in the health region
where they live
the
names of the members of the health region board and the CEO of the health
region.
3. Have students simulate a health board meeting. The board is discussing
whether to set up a hemodialysis unit at the local hospital. This would
mean a large expenditure of money, but it would also mean that people who need
hemodialysis can get their treatment closer to home. Ask students to
research hemodialysis – What is it? Who needs it? What staff and
equipment are needed? How much would a hemodialysis unit cost to set
up? What would be the yearly cost? Students can interview local
health professionals and use the Internet to get information.
During the simulated health board meeting, 11 or 12 students can be health
region board members. One can act as the health region CEO. Others
can make presentations to the board, for and against creation of the
hemodialysis unit. One or two students can be newspaper and TV reporters
who observe the meeting and take notes and photographs.
What factors do students have to consider when they make a decision? No
matter what decision they make, they can’t please everyone. Some people
will be unhappy. How do they cope with this?
This same simulation process can be used to explore many other potential
decisions. Some ideas include:
Should
the board expand mental health programs or diabetes programs? Should
it buy CT scanning or MRI equipment?
The
health board has only a certain amount of money. How should they use
the money available?
Should
they focus on a stop-smoking program or an AIDS prevention program?
Should
they expand the hemodialysis program or spend more money to prevent Fetal
Alcohol Syndrome?
Should they keep a specific costly hospital or service even if it means cutting other health services in the community?
4. Have students get information about some of the big decisions the local health board is facing right now. This can be done by interviewing board members or by inviting a board member to speak to the class. Then create a simulation based on a real-life, local health issue. As part of their research, students can interview local people, gather local statistics, collect news articles and letters to the editor from the local newspaper.
What Do Health Boards Do?
In Saskatchewan, 12 Regional Health Authorities (RHAs) plan, coordinate, oversee and deliver health services. The 12-person board of each Regional Heath Authority is appointed by the provincial government.
The members of the health boards are representative of the communities they
serve. The membership includes a balance of young and old people, and
people from all over the region. The responsibilities of the health boards are
defined in The Regional Health Services Act, 2002 (Section 27).
In
general, health boards are responsible for planning, organizing, delivering and
evaluating health services in their region. This means that they are
responsible for hospitals, ambulance services, home care for seniors and people
with disabilities, long-term care for seniors and well baby clinics where babies
get their shots. They are also responsible for programs that prevent
illness like stop-smoking programs and diabetes prevention programs.
Health
boards are decision-making bodies. They are responsible to the public and to the
provincial government for the decisions they make. Health boards have
limited involvement in the day-to-day operation of the health region. Once
they make a decision they pass that decision to their chief executive officer
(CEO) for implementation. The board and the CEO are a team. The CEO
implements the board’s decisions, and also advises the board on technical,
medical and administrative issues. The CEO works with the doctors, nurses,
health educators, technicians and other professionals employed by the health
region to deliver quality health care.
The
meetings of the health board are open to the public – anyone can come to
observe. Reporters often attend these meetings and information about the
board’s decisions may appear in the newspaper, on radio or TV. Members
of the public can make presentations to the board about issues that are
important to them.
The
Regional Health Services Act, 2002 Responsibilities
and Powers of Responsibility
for health services 27(1)
A regional health authority is responsible for the planning, organization,
delivery and evaluation of health services it is to provide:
(a) within its health region; and
(b) within any other area that may be directed by the minister. (2)
In carrying out its responsibilities pursuant to subsection (1), a
regional health authority shall:
(a) assess the health needs of the persons to whom the regional
health authority provides health services;
(b) in accordance with section 50, prepare and regularly update an
operational plan for the provision of health services;
(c) provide the health services that the minister, pursuant to
clause 52(b), determines that the regional health authority is to provide;
(d) co-ordinate the health services it provides with those provided
by other providers of health services;
(e) evaluate the health services that it provides;
(f) promote and encourage health and wellness; and
(g) do any other things that the minister may direct. (3) A regional health authority shall comply with this Act and the regulations. |
There is also a more formal mechanism for getting community input. The
legislation requires that every health board set up at least one community
advisory network to provide advice to the health board about health
services. The structure of these community advisory networks varies from
one health region to another, but all are comprised of community volunteers. Health boards do not have the authority to levy taxes. Funds for health services are provided by the provincial government. Because the funds health boards receive are limited, board members sometimes have to choose how these funds will be used. “Will they have two small hospitals or one big one? Will they put a lot of money into programs to prevent smoking, diabetes or obesity, or will they focus on the Emergency Department?” Community members may have different opinions about matters like these, so the health board’s job is sometimes difficult. |
|
Topic 6: What Are the Responsibilities of a Leader?
Teacher Information | ||
Concepts |
Leaders have specific jobs to do (go to local
government meetings, make decisions, etc.). Leaders have responsibilities to the community (to consider everyone’s interests, to lead by example, etc.). |
|
Overview | This topic emphasizes that leaders have certain responsibilities and obligations, and fulfill many roles. | |
Curriculum Connections |
For
more information about:
|
Possible Activities
1.
Distribute the Student Backgrounder – What
Are the Responsibilities of a Leader? Review it with
students as necessary to check their understanding of key points.
2.
Local and First Nations government officials such as mayor/chief/reeve,
councillors, school trustees, and health board members play many roles. ***
They can
be:
advocates
for the members of the community.
listeners
to the people of the community.
goal
setters for the local government.
planners
who make step-by-step plans, assign resources and set timelines to achieve
goals.
evaluators
who determine if goals are being met.
financial
planners who make decisions about budget.
policy
makers who make policies to guide administrators.
legislators
who pass bylaws and resolutions.
communicators
who share information with the community.
adjudicators
who listen to people who feel they have not been treated fairly.
lobbyists
who communicate with all levels of government.
For each
of the roles, ask students to respond to the following questions:
What
does advocacy (listener, goal setter, etc.) mean?
In
what types of situations might a local or First Nations government official
serve as an advocate (listener, goal setter, etc.)?
What
specific actions would an elected official take in the role of advocate
(listener, goal setter, etc.)?
What
personal characteristics or skills does a good advocate have (listener, goal
setter, etc.)?
Divide
students into groups of two or three. Assign two or three roles to each
group. Have each group answer the questions for the role assigned to them
and then report their answers back to the whole class.
What Are the
Responsibilities of a Leader?
There
are two types of leaders in every community: informal leaders and formal
leaders. Informal leaders are people who lead and influence others simply
because of who they are. They may be known as someone who lives an
outstanding life, is very fair, works hard, contributes a great deal to the
community, has a charismatic personality.
Formal
leaders are people who are leaders because of the position they hold. In a
community, the mayor or the chief are leaders because they have been elected to
the position of leader. In an office, the executive director is a leader
because s/he has been hired for that job.
|
How Do Leaders Lead?
Both
informal and formal leaders lead others in several ways:
|
Local
and First Nations government leaders lead in another way. They represent
the people of the community and have the legal authority to make decisions on
behalf of the community. Their positions give them the right to make
certain decisions and to take the actions necessary to implement those
decisions.
|
What Do We Expect of
Leaders? Most of us expect certain things of our leaders. As a minimum, we expect them to be honest with money, to tell the truth, and to put the community’s interests before their own. What
Roles Do Local and First Nations Government Officials Play?
Local
and First Nations government officials such as mayor/chief/reeve, councillors,
school trustees and health board members play many roles. They can be: |
advocates
for the members of the community.
listeners
to the people of the community.
goal
setters for the local or First Nations government.
planners
who make step-by-step plans, assign resources and set timelines to achieve
goals.
evaluators who determine if goals are being met.
financial
planners who make decisions about budget.
policy
makers who make policies to guide administrators.
legislators
who pass bylaws and resolutions.
communicators
who share information with the community.
adjudicators
who listen to people who feel they have not been treated fairly.
lobbyists
who communicate with all levels of government.***
*** Description of roles played by local and First Nations government officials adapted from Teaching About Local Government in Alberta: School Boards, pages 72-77, by Alberta Learning and Alberta School Boards Association. 2000. Edmonton, Alberta. Adapted with permission from Alberta Learning.
Visit the websites listed
below for more information about some of the topics covered in this
instructional resource. The URLs listed were correct as of early March 2003.
British
North America Act, 1867 (BNA Act)
This site provides the full text of the BNA Act which established Canada as an
independent country and specified that Indians are a federal responsibility.
The
Cities Act, 2003
The Cities Act describes the purpose and responsibilities of Saskatchewan’s
cities and outlines the relationship between the cities and the province of
Saskatchewan.
Constitution
Act,1982
This Act repatriated the Canadian Constitution and gave recognition to the
Aboriginal and treaty rights of First Nations people.
Education
Act, 1995
Section 85 of The Education Act specifies the duties and powers of boards of
education.
Elections
Canada
The Elections Canada website lists all of Canada’s Members of Parliament,
provides federal constituency maps, and describes how federal elections are
organized. A classroom kit that models voting procedures is available from
Elections Canada.
Federation
of Saskatchewan Indian Nations (FSIN)
The FSIN represents Saskatchewan’s First Nations.
Government
of Canada
This website gives names and contact information for all the members of
Parliament, cabinet ministers, members of the Senate and the Prime
Minister. The site is reorganized frequently, so check the A to Z index
under Parliament. This website also includes a lot of information about
the way Canadian government works.
Government
of Saskatchewan
This website gives names and contact information for all members of the
Legislative Assembly, Cabinet Ministers, Premier and Lieutenant Governor.
The website is reorganized frequently, so check under these search terms when
necessary.
Indian
Act, 1985
This website provides lists of Saskatchewan’s First Nations and Tribal
Councils and a map showing the location of the First Nations.
Indian
and Northern Affairs Canada
This website provides lists of Saskatchewan’s First Nations and Tribal
Councils and a map showing the location of the First Nations.
Regional
Health Services Act, 2002
This Act created Saskatchewan’s 12 Regional Health Authorities. Section
27 defines the responsibilities of the RHAs.
Rural
Municipality Act, 1989
This Act defines the responsibilities of Saskatchewan’s rural municipalities.
Saskatchewan
Association of Health Organizations (SAHO)
SAHO represents more than 160 health agencies in Saskatchewan. This
website includes members’ names and addresses, detailed information about the
services that SAHO provides and news about current events in the healthcare
field.
Saskatchewan
Association of Rural Municipalities (SARM)
SARM is the independent non-governmental association that represents rural
municipalities in Saskatchewan. This website provides detailed information about
SARM’s members, directors, current policies and publications.
This website includes links to Saskatchewan’s 12 health regions, including
maps, mailing addresses, phone and fax numbers, names of board members and
information about services provided.
Saskatchewan
Learning
for general information for social
science curriculum documents
Saskatchewan Learning is the provincial government department responsible for
K-12 education in Saskatchewan. Most curriculum documents published by
Saskatchewan Learning are available online.
Saskatchewan
Municipal Directory
This directory contains detailed information about all of Saskatchewan’s
urban, rural and northern municipalities. Mailing addresses, phone and fax
numbers, names of mayor, councillors and senior staff are provided. Some
maps are also included. This site contains links to additional information
about Saskatchewan municipalities such as their duties and powers and election
procedures.
Saskatchewan
School Trustees Association (SSTA)
Provides information about the role and formation of the SSTA and links to all
of Saskatchewan’s school divisions.
Saskatchewan
Urban Municipalities Association (SUMA)
SUMA is the independent non-governmental association that represents urban
municipalities in Saskatchewan. This website provides detailed information about
SUMA’s members, directors, current policies and publications.
Urban
Municipality Act, 1984
This Act defines the responsibilities of Saskatchewan’s urban municipalities.
Appendix - Participating Organizations
Local
Government in Saskatchewan: An Instructional Resource for Grade 12 was
developed through a collaboration among six Saskatchewan organizations:
Federation
of Saskatchewan Indian Nations (FSIN)
Saskatchewan
Association of Health Organizations (SAHO)
Saskatchewan
Association of Rural Municipalities (SARM)
Saskatchewan
Learning (SaskLearning)
Saskatchewan
School Trustees Association (SSATA)
Saskatchewan
Urban Municipalities Association (SUMA)
Each of these organizations contributed ideas, staff time and other resources during the development of this instructional resource.
Short
descriptions of each of these organizations follow. The information in
these descriptions and the addresses and phone numbers were correct as of spring
2003, but may be subject to change in the future.
These descriptions will be useful as teacher background information. They
might also be of interest to students. For example, students who require
enrichment might research one or more of the agencies in detail, and make a
poster, write a report or make a presentation detailing their findings. If
you ask students to write a report about any of the six partner organizations,
use it as an opportunity to teach the writing process. The Saskatchewan
Secondary Language Arts Curriculum uses the graphic below to illustrate
the writing process.
For
more information about the writing process go to:
Federation
of Saskatchewan Indian Nations (FSIN)
What is the FSIN?
The Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations represents Saskatchewan’s 74
First Nations. The main
components of the FSIN’s governance structure are:
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|
In
addition to the bodies listed above, the FSIN has organized several commissions
and councils with specific responsibilities such as justice, economic
development, and education. A First Nations Women’s Council provides
women with a voice.
The
decisions that are made by the Legislative Assembly and the Executive are passed
to the Chief of Staff for implementation. The Chief of Staff supervises a
staff comprised of specialists and consultants in areas like education and
economic development, accountants, as well as administrative and clerical
people.
Saskatchewan’s
First Nations are organized into 10 Tribal/Grand Councils (nine independent
First Nations do not belong to a Tribal Council). The Tribal Councils are
political units that assist First Nations in achieving their political, social,
educational, health, financial and cultural goals. Each Tribal
Council/independent First Nation has representation at the FSIN
commissions. This ensures linkages and liaison throughout all levels of
Indian government.
What Services Does the
FSIN Offer?
The FSIN
focuses on the well-being of First Nations peoples in Saskatchewan. It
protects Treaties and Treaty Rights (Treaties 2, 4, 5, 6, 8 and 10 cover
Saskatchewan). The FSIN also fosters the economic, educational and social
endeavours of First Nations peoples.
The FSIN
operates several institutions that serve First Nations people and the public as
a whole. These institutions include:
Saskatchewan
Indian Cultural Centre (SICC)
Saskatchewan
Indian Institute of Technology (SIIT)
Saskatchewan
Indian Federated College (SIFC)
Saskatchewan
Indian Gaming Authority (SIGA)
First
Nations Bank of Canada
Saskatchewan
Indian Gaming Licencing Inc. (SIGL)
Saskatchewan
Indian Equity Foundation (SIEF)
Saskatchewan
Indian Loan Company (SILCO)
For more information about the FSIN visit their website at http://www.fsin.com.
For a list of
Saskatchewan’s First Nations, Tribal Councils and a map of Saskatchewan
showing the location of the First Nations go to the website of Indian
and Northern Affairs Canada.
Federation of Saskatchewan
Indian Nations
Head Office
Asimakaniseekan Askiy
Reserve
Suite 200 – 103A Packham
Avenue
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
S7N 4K4
Telephone: (306) 665-1215
Fax: (306) 244-4413
Regina Sub
Office
Regal Plaza
Suite A –
1680 Albert Street
Regina,
Saskatchewan
S4P
2S6
Telephone: (306) 721-2822
Fax: (306) 721-2707
Fort
Qu’Appelle Sub Office
Treaty Four
Governance Centre
120 – 740
Sioux Avenue
Fort
Qu’Appelle, Saskatchewan
S0G 1S0
Telephone: (306) 332-2556
Fax: (306) 332-2557
Saskatchewan Association of Health Organizations (SAHO)
What is SAHO?
The
Saskatchewan Association of Health Organizations is a non-profit, non-government
association of health agencies in Saskatchewan. Members
include Saskatchewan’s regional health authorities, independent hospitals and
special care homes, as well as various agencies and associations that provide
heath services, education and/or regulations.
Over 160
organizations are members of SAHO.
A
15-person board of directors, which includes a chair and a vice-chair provides
directions for SAHO’s work. What
Services Does SAHO Offer to Its Members?
Services
SAHO provides to its members include:
|
|
payroll
services for more than 27,000 health care staff in the province
pension,
dental, group life and disability income plans for health employees (SAHO
Retirement Plan has assets of more than $1.7 billion)
materials
management (group tendering to reduce the costs of health care supplies)
workplace
health and safety (education and training to reduce workplace health
risks and injuries, and to help workplaces meet health and safety standards)
education
(professional development seminars, resource centre).
For more information about SAHO visit their website at http://www.saho.org/.
Saskatchewan
Association of Health Organizations
1445 Park Street
Regina, SK
S4N 4C5
Telephone: (306) 347-5500
Fax:
(306) 525-1960
Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities (SARM)
What is SARM?
The
Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities (SARM) is the independent
non-governmental association that represents rural municipal government in
Saskatchewan.
SARM’s
members are Saskatchewan’s 297 rural municipalities. All municipalities
belong to SARM on a voluntary basis.
The
Association is governed by an eight-member board that is elected by delegates at
the SARM Annual Convention in March. All board members must be elected
rural municipal officials from their local municipality. The
President and Vice-President are elected each year and serve a one-year
term. Other board members serve a two-year term. The president of
the Rural Municipal Administrators Associatio |
|
What
Services Does SARM Offer to Its Members?
SARM
serves its members in a variety of ways:
SARM
reviews and interprets provincial and federal legislation, lobbies
provincial and federal governments to change legislation, and communicates
important political developments to members.
SARM
provides a range of insurance plans and employee benefit plans to rural
municipalities.
The
Trading Department provides the benefits of volume purchasing of products
such as printing and stationery, rodent control products, road signs, safety
supplies, tires, fuel, and office equipment.
The
Legal Services Department provides casual legal services to rural
municipalities.
SARM
publishes the Rural Councillor Magazine six times per year, with a
circulation of 3,000.
SARM
administers various funds for municipalities on behalf of the provincial
and/or federal government. These funds include the Treaty Land
Entitlement Tax Loss Compensation Fund and the Wildlife Habitat Trust Fund.
For more information about SARM visit their
website at http://www.sarm.ca.
Saskatchewan
Association of Rural Municipalities
2075 Hamilton Street, Regina, SK
S4P 2E1
Telephone: (306) 757-3577
Fax:
(306) 565-2141
Saskatchewan
Learning (SaskLearning)
What is Saskatchewan Learning?
Saskatchewan Learning is the provincial department responsible for education in Saskatchewan.
Saskatchewan Learning’s general website address is http://www.sasked.gov.sk.ca.
What
Services Does Saskatchewan Learning Offer?
Saskatchewan
Learning develops curriculum for K-12 education, coordinates special education
services, facilitates the SchoolPLUS vision and provides many more
services to schools, school divisions and communities.
Social Studies teachers will find the online curriculum guides for K-12 education very helpful. Curriculum guides for 12 different subject areas are available online. Social science curriculum guides, bibliographies, information bulletins and other assorted document are available at http://www.sasked.gov.sk.ca/docs/social.html.
Saskatchewan Learning
2220 College Avenue
Regina, Saskatchewan
S4P 3V7
Telephone
– Social Sciences Unit: (306) 787-6136
Saskatchewan School Trustees Association (SSTA)
What is the SSTA?
The
Saskatchewan School Trustees Association represents Saskatchewan boards of
education. Membership in the Association is voluntary. It is
governed by a 14-person Executive which includes a president, vice-president and
directors representing various areas of the province.
All the
members of the Executive have been elected as school trustees in the regions
they represent. Day-to-day work is carried out by a 15-person staff in the
SSTA’s Regina office.
What
Services Does the SSTA Offer to Its Members?
The
SSTA’s services to its member boards of education include:
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|
For more
information about the SSTA visit their website at http://www.ssta.sk.ca.
Saskatchewan
School Trustees Association
400 –
2222 – 13th Avenue
Regina,
Saskatchewan
S4P 3M7
Telephone:
(306) 569-0750
Fax: (306) 352-9633
Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association (SUMA)
What is SUMA?
The
Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association represents urban municipalities.
Membership in SUMA is voluntary and is open to cities, towns, villages, resort villages, northern villages and northern hamlets. SUMA’s membership represents approximately 75 percent of Saskatchewan’s population.
A Board of
Directors provides direction for the organization. The board is comprised
of: |
|
a
president,
three
vice-presidents (one for cities, one for towns, and one for villages, resort
villages and northern municipalities), and
14-16
directors from various parts of the province.
What Services Does the SUMA Offer to Its Members?
SUMA
serves its member municipalities by:
providing
a forum for the discussion and resolution of issues that are of concern to
cities, towns and villages
lobbying
federal and provincial governments for changes in legislation, programs and
municipal financing
purchasing
supplies and equipment in bulk for its members in order to get lower prices
providing
a variety of insurance and employee benefits plans to its member
municipalities.
For more information about SUMA visit their website at http://www.suma.org/.
Saskatchewan Urban
Municipalities Association
#200 – 1819 Cornwall
Street
Regina, Saskatchewan
S4P 2K4
Telephone: (306)
525-3727
Fax:
(306) 525-4373
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