• Municipal governments in Canada receive their duties from the provincial government.o' canada image by Kathryn Palmer from Fotolia.com
  
  In Canada, municipal duties and responsibilities are granted to local governments by the provincial government. As a result, there are differences between the duties of various municipalities in Canada. There are, however, a general set of duties that most municipal governments in Canada are charged with. Understanding these duties will offer insight into the role of municipal governments in Canada.
  
  

Water

• Generally, most municipalities have a duty to provide drinking water to homes and businesses under their jurisdiction. Although the standards vary from one municipality to another, a municipality that provides water services will have some form of water treatment facility that maintains the safety of the water. In small towns and villages, people will often be responsible for their own water obtained from wells.
  
  

Parks and Recreation

• Municipal governments normally have a duty to provide and maintain parks and recreation services. Parks can vary in types and sizes, ranging from community playgrounds to large parks with forests. On the recreation side, municipal governments will usually have a duty to provide sports and wellness facilities such as hockey rinks, soccer fields and swimming pools.
  
  

Fire Service

• Fire service is a common duty for Canadian municipalities. Fire services will be responsible for responding to fires and other emergencies within the municipality. Fire services may extend to cover marine fire services and forest fire services in some areas of the country. In some cases, the duty will be undertaken partially by provincial fire services.
  
  

Police

• Most municipal governments have a duty to provide police service in their communities. In smaller communities, this can be a small force or it may be a duty taken care of by provincial or federal police. Large cities, however, have sizable police forces with a variety of specialized units.
  
  

Waste Management

• Waste management is a typical municipal duty in Canada. Waste management may be simple garbage removal in some municipalities, but, increasingly, municipal governments are taking on the duty of instituting recycling programs as part of their waste management programs.
  
  

Transportation

• Small towns and villages will not have municipal transportation services, but, in cities, the municipal government will have the duty of providing public transit to citizens. The level of service varies widely between cities, with some offering basic bus service and others offering metro and light rail services.
  
  

Maintenance

• Maintenance is an important duty of all municipal governments in Canada. Maintenance involves repairing municipal roads, clearing snow in the winter and cleaning public areas. The levels of this duty differ depending on the size of the municipality and the number of people being served.