Letter by FCM president Berry Vrbanovic: CD Howe report marches right past what taxpayers see every day (30/11/2011)

C.D. Howe ("Holding Canada's Cities to Account") marches right past what taxpayers see every day: no government is closer or more accountable to Canadians than their local government.

From our smallest towns to our largest cities, municipal councils debate every single spending decision at public meetings, in the very communities they're elected to serve. What other type of government does that?

C.D. Howe wants fewer local budget surprises? So do municipalities. The problem is that local councils rarely know what investments they can count on from other governments or when a new responsibility - for housing, the environment, or policing - will be pushed on to their plate.

Building better local budgets starts with long-term collaboration among all governments. The federal government's commitment to develop a new, long-term infrastructure plan is a step in exactly the right direction. It opens the door to a new era when communities know what resources and responsibilities they have for the future, so they can build and sustain the services their communities need.

Berry Vrbanovic, President of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM)