Because You Asked: Levels of Government

At the Mayor and Council Office, we receive dozens of questions every day. Many of these calls and emails relate to Town of Whitby services and operations – but we also get inquiries that relate to other levels of government.

Residents often ask us which services fall under which jurisdiction. Because you asked, here’s a quick primer! This isn’t an exhaustive list, but it covers some of the most commonly asked-about services.

Canada’s Three Levels of Government

Canada has three levels of government – federal, provincial, and municipal. Municipalities can be “single-tier” like Toronto or Hamilton, or “two-tier,” which means there are two levels.

Durham Region – A Two-Tier Municipality

Durham Region is an example of a two-tier municipality. The Region of Durham is the upper tier, providing services like paramedics and police to all of Durham (see list below for more examples). Durham has eight lower-tier municipalities, including Whitby, which provide services within their own boundaries such as parks, recreation, and libraries (see list below for more examples).

Federal Government Services:

• International relations

• Citizenship and immigration

• Criminal law

• National defense and foreign policy

• Federal taxation

• Indigenous lands and rights

Provincial Government Services:

• Health care (hospitals, family doctors, mental health and addictions services, cancer services)

• Long-term care home applications, admissions, and oversight

• Social assistance programs (Ontario Works, Ontario Disability Support Program)

• Education (public elementary and secondary schools, colleges and universities)

• Highways

• Provincial parks

• Natural resources

• Transportation and highways

• Labour standards

• Sales tax

Town of Whitby Services:

• Parks

• Libraries

• Garbage, green bin, and yard waste collection

• Recreation centres and recreation programming

• Fire services

• Bylaw enforcement

• Animal services

• Land use planning

• Licenses and permits (such as marriage licenses, filming permits, building permits)

Region of Durham Services:

• Housing and homelessness support (the Region of Durham is legislated by the Province as the Service System Manager for Housing and Homelessness)

• Social services (Early Years programming, family counselling, rent-geared-to-income housing)

• Region-operated long-term care homes and childcare centres

• Durham Region Transit

• Paramedics

• Police

• Water and sewer

• Health department