City states future of Canada.

Stryker · #1 Posted **Mar 24, 2014, 10:39 PM**

After getting totally bummed out about the state of rural canada and it's future I started thinking. Are we soon approaching a time where municipal governments are gonna become the dominant force in Canadian politics and affair.

As strange as it may sound, many civilizations were essentially a collection of city states, germany pre 1800's, Italy up until around the same period, and of course the greeks.

Considering the way our economy is geared towards cities, the way a city can define a culture far better than a country or a province, etc.

ue · #2 Posted **Mar 25, 2014, 12:22 AM**

Although vertical farming will likely become a very popular method of cultivating crops, in a country as vast as Canada is, I don't think they'll be as necessary. So rural areas have that going for them. Not to mention tourism, education, and some industry, depending on the town.

Considering how large Canada is, I don't see how it'd be possible for us to just be a collection of city-states. Unless there are vast spaces of nothingness between states.

MonctonRad · #3 Posted **Mar 25, 2014, 12:54 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by ue

Considering how large Canada is, I don't see how it'd be possible for us to just be a collection of city-states. Unless there are vast spaces of nothingness between states.

Unfortunately, I think that's the way Canada is heading - a collection of perhaps 12 pseudo-city-states with vast barren expanses of nothingness in between.

This isn't my vision of what Canada should be, but some version of this is nearly inevitable…..

Daveography · #4 Posted **Mar 25, 2014, 3:17 PM**

This isn't totally off the wall. It seems that as you get higher up in levels of government, the further disconnected the politicians are from the people they represent; federal MPs being the most disconnected, municipal councils being the most connected (for the most part, anyway...hi Super Ford Bros.).

Edmonton is feeling particularly disconnected these days as we practically have to beg for LRT funding from the province and feds, only to have tons of strings attached to those grants (i.e., must be sourced as a P3, being given a loan rather than a grant, etc.).

Consequently I for one would welcome giving municipalities much more power, such as by downloading a larger portion of taxation directly to cities rather than sending our tax money way up the chain and then having to ask politely "please, sir, can I have some more" to have some back for our critical infrastructure projects.

milomilo · #5 Posted **Mar 25, 2014, 10:08 PM**

I think a collection of city states is far better than the other extreme of completely centralised government. That said, I also believe Canada has by far the best balance of power between the cities, provinces and nation of any country, although I'd like the Federal government to do more for national infrastructure in the nation's interest.

ue · #6 Posted **Mar 25, 2014, 10:21 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by RTA

This isn't totally off the wall. It seems that as you get higher up in levels of government, the further disconnected the politicians are from the people they represent; federal MPs being the most disconnected, municipal councils being the most connected (for the most part, anyway...hi Super Ford Bros.).

Edmonton is feeling particularly disconnected these days as we practically have to beg for LRT funding from the province and feds, only to have tons of strings attached to those grants (i.e., must be sourced as a P3, being given a loan rather than a grant, etc.).

Consequently I for one would welcome giving municipalities much more power, such as by downloading a larger portion of taxation directly to cities rather than sending our tax money way up the chain and then having to ask politely "please, sir, can I have some more" to have some back for our critical infrastructure projects.

It's especially ironic to see this at the provincial level in Edmonton, considering it is centred here.

SHOFEAR · #7 Posted **Mar 25, 2014, 10:58 PM**

More tax revenues going to the cities that generated the wealth and a federal government that has a much smaller role? Yes please.

Dado · #8 Posted **Mar 26, 2014, 12:58 AM**

Personally I think the entire federation should be restructured around the dozen-or-so largest cities, with them constituted as city-provinces (basically contract all the provinces from Quebec westwards down onto their capitals, then add a few more city-provinces for the remaining large cities).

The city-provinces would have all the powers of a province and city rolled into one government, as is the case in Canberra, the Australian Capital Territory.

Income taxes, sales taxes, excise taxes and property taxes - all controlled by one government, with responsibility for all that provinces and cities do, including health and education (why oh why do we even have these bodies called "school boards" with completely separate administrations - four in some places in Ontario - hanging around?).

The rest of the country would be "de-provincialized" back into federal territories. They would still be organized into counties and townships, cities and towns, districts and reserves, but within territories.

Each level of urbanization - village to town to city - would be accompanied with extra powers and responsibilities, with the possibility of eventually achieving city-province status.

MolsonExport · #9 Posted **Mar 26, 2014, 1:08 AM**

The biggest cities already benefit enormously from the concentration of government services, as well as the presence of headquarters jobs that are supported from national and international revenue sources. Most cities are also not so lucky to be sitting atop a huge store of natural resources. They draw the best and the brightest from the surrounding countryside and from secondary cities. Of course these big cities disproportionately create wealth. But they also benefit in the form of many symbionic relationships with smaller cities and the hinterlands. Just saying.

Stryker · #10 Posted **Mar 26, 2014, 1:46 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by ue

Although vertical farming will likely become a very popular method of cultivating crops, in a country as vast as Canada is, I don't think they'll be as necessary. So rural areas have that going for them. Not to mention tourism, education, and some industry, depending on the town.

Considering how large Canada is, I don't see how it'd be possible for us to just be a collection of city-states. Unless there are vast spaces of nothingness between states.

For the record there already is vast spaces of nothingnessn. Anyway I don't think all rural areas will vanish, simply they would be redefined back as territories.

SkydivePilot · #11 Posted **Mar 28, 2014, 6:23 AM**

This thread ought to be re-entitled as either:

"City-states' Future of Canada" or "Future City-states of Canada"

The way it is entitled now, the punctuation/grammar are kinda messed-up/tough to read.

Thanks.