Accessibility of municipal services for ethnocultural populations in Toronto and Montreal
Article Abstract:
The increasing density and residential concentration of some ethnocultural groups in some Canadian cities raises challenges for the planning and delivery of municipal services. This study examines the accessibility and receptivity of municipal services for ethnocultural populations in Toronto and Montreal. The analysis centers principally on a comparison of the Toronto Multicultural Access Program (MAP) and the Bureau interculturel de Montreal (BIM) and their relationships with selected municipal departments and political bodies. Results show that, as expected, Toronto, with a higher proportion of different ethnocultural populations, had greater accessibility and receptivity of municipal services than Montreal did: MAP was found to have a narrow mandate focused on improving accessibility of services, whereas BIM was found to be responsible for a wider range of services affecting ethnocultural populations. Public relations work occupied a large proportion of BIM resources. While MAP addressed the improvement of accessibility in a systematic and structured way that involved all departments in the administration, BIM tended to intervene in a more varied manner based on the needs of particular groups, districts of departments. A discussion of the possible reasons for the different approaches and their implications for urban development and planning is presented along with suggestions for future study in this area. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)
Publication Name: Canadian Public Administration
Subject: Government
ISSN: 0008-4840
Year: 1995
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Moving rocks: block-funding in PEI as an incentive for cross-sectoral reallocations among human services
Article Abstract:
In 1993, Prince Edward Island introduced block-funding to five Health and Community Services regional boards for all human services except education. We view this as the introduction of a financial incentive (or removal of a disincentive) to undertake cross-sectional reallocations to address the broader determinants of health. We use case-study methods to evaluate the way in which this incentive was communicated from policy makers to the regions, how the regions interpreted the policy makers' signals, and how the regions responded. The block-funding incentive became a "fuzzy" signal to the regions, because it was communicated as part of a larger reform package that included expenditure reductions, devolved governance, and the need for integration and coordination. Nevertheless, the regional boards interpreted the block-funding as facilitating cross-sectional reallocations, but because of various concerns, including opposition expressed by their employee providers, as well as their physicians and the public, they moved only cautiously to exploit the incentive. Most regions focused more on enhancing administrative efficiency through integration and coordination than on cross-sectoral reallocations to address the determinants of health. Finally, lessons for other jurisdictions are outlined based on the PEI experience. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)
Publication Name: Canadian Public Administration
Subject: Government
ISSN: 0008-4840
Year: 1996
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The effect of urban growth on municipal taxes
Article Abstract:
A common belief among municipal officials is that urban growth enables a municipality to earn "tax profits," which enables the municipality to reduce tax rates. The rationale is that urban growth increases tax assessment, which in turn is applied to finance existing services such as roads and libraries, thereby reducing the tax burden on existing taxpayers. Conversely, by this rationale if the municipality does not experience growth, taxes will necessarily be higher. The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between urban growth and municipal taxes. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)
Publication Name: Canadian Public Administration
Subject: Government
ISSN: 0008-4840
Year: 1992
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