Sections of the Local Governance Act: 1 - 3
Description:
Part 1 provides definitions for terms found throughout the Act. In a few instances there are also definitions provided in other parts of the Act, but they generally pertain to specific sections and not the entire Act. Part 1 also specifies the precedence that the Local Governance Act has in relation to municipal charters, private or special Acts, or to by-laws enacted by a local government. More specifically, if there is a conflict between the Local Governance Act and any of the aforementioned, the Local Governance Act prevails.
New Provisions and Intent:
It is important to highlight that the term “local government” is used extensively in the Act. It is intended to mean either the body corporate (the actual local government organization – municipalities, regional municipalities and rural communities) or the area covered by the local government (i.e., the community itself) depending on the context. In some cases, the term “rural community” will be used for provisions directly relating to rural communities. Where the term “municipality” is used, it refers to cities, towns or villages only.
One of the notable new definitions included in this part is for the term “economic development”. The matter of economic development is further addressed in Part 9 (Section 104) of the Act.