Municipalities and regional districts are creatures of the Provincial Government of British Columbia. The Constitution Act of 1867 Section 92(8) gave provinces the sole legal responsibility to create, regulate and govern local government.
In B.C., local governments include municipalities, regional districts, special purpose districts and local boards and agencies. They provide citizens with essential local and regional services such as clean water, sewer systems, parks and recreation, and fire protection. These local governments plan and shape their communities, and exercise the vision through the adoption of bylaws.
For further information on how local government functions in B.C. see the Provincial Government Local Governments webpage. Local governments have extremely complex and costly responsibilities, but they also have limited revenue generation methods.
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