Traditional Realm and Municipalities

garbage collection: You'd notice pretty quickly," Nenshi laughs. "We provide the services that keep people healthy and safe and happy every hour of every day of their life." Large municipalities are moving beyond the traditional realm of garbage collection, snow removal and street cleaning to play roles on climate change, immigration and clean energy, according to CTV. That has produced so-called star mayors who are entering municipal politics to champion an expanded role for cities. "You have had in recent years the emergence of municipal politicians who have captured public attention and have been able to draw attention to the needs of municipalities," says Warren Magnusson, a political theorist at the University of Victoria who specializes in urban studies. If the federal government disappeared tomorrow it would probably take Canadians a few weeks to notice, he says, and perhaps a few hours, or even days, in the case of a provincial government. " if your municipal government disappeared, well, you'd have no roads, you'd have no transit, you'd have no parks, you'd have no police, you'd have no firefighters, you'd have no clean water. As a big-city mayor with a high profile following his 2014 World Mayor prize, Nenshi is an example of this phenomenon. "Every mayor in Canada will tell you that they can walk down the street with any cabinet minister and probably the premier of their province, and it the mayor that people on the street will stop to talk to," Magnusson says. "This is where it at." In Vancouver, Gregor Robertson is serving his third term as mayor after stepping down from provincial politics in 2008. "Cities are on the frontlines and delivering services every day and making a difference in people lives, and I like that directness," he says. Premiers and prime ministers typically serve a single riding, but their authority as first minister comes from being party leader. Mayors are the only heads of government in Canada elected directly by their constituents, says Robertson. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.