In recent years, Total Quality Management has increasingly become a management approach embraced by public and private sector organisations worldwide. Although adopted initially by the private sector, Total Quality Management strategies have recently - and increasingly - been used by public sector organisations. However, public sector, particularly local government, experience with Total Quality Management has not been as systematically documented as private sector cases. Implementation issues in the public sector such as, problem identification, including the definition and distinction between the concept of customer and citizen; results; alternatives; and, performance measures differ significantly from private sector counterparts. Identification and documentation of these implementation issues are prerequisite requirements for the improved application of Total Quality Management in the public sector. The purpose of this research study, which was supported by the Canadian Association of Municipal Administrators, is to examine the Total Quality Management efforts being undertaken by local governments in Canada. The analysis includes a survey of Canadian municipalities to assess the general state of Total Quality Management efforts at the local government level. These survey data are compared with similar studies recently completed at the local government level in both the United Kingdom and the United States. In addition, the research study includes a more detailed review of specific cases to critically assess the use of TQM; and, to provide a "best practices" assessment of the application of Total Quality Management at the local government level in Canada. The intention is to identify the principles of Total Quality Management through the survey and case analysis, which can identify problems and concerns associated with TQM; and, provide a model for other public sector organisations - particularly local governments - attempting to implement Total Quality Management. The results of these inquiries confirm that local governments in Canada are generally cognisant of the principles of Total Quality Management and continue to explore TQM applications. For the most part, Total Quality Management has proven successful within local governments in Canada. In addition, the results suggest that local governments considering Total Quality Management should undertake an in-depth corporate strategic assessment or planning exercise prior to initiation of a formal quality program and recognise their own unique strengths and weaknesses. Most importantly, the Total Quality Management concepts best suited for any specific organisation, including local governments, must be clearly identified; understood; supported, particularly by managers; and, strategically used rather than the universal application of all Total Quality Management principles.

In the twentieth century, we are experiencing rapid urbanization and metropolitanization in North America. Following this metropolitan area explosion are the severe social, human, and physical problems that have occured in our big urban areas. Solutions of these problems are inhibited by the complex structure of local governments in metropolitan areas. The problem is described as too many governments and not enough government. Today, regional planning deals not only with the problem of resource development, but also with the development of metropolitan areas. However, if metropolitan planning is to be effective, it must be integrated into a formal area-wide political structure with legitimate power. Thus, the hypothesis is established: for planning at the metropolitan level to be successful, it must be integrated into a well organized area-wide government authority, and must obtain a well-co-ordinated working relationship with suitably modified local governments and local planning bodies. Cities of our time are governed by two kinds of gravitational forces: forces of concentration (centripetal), and forces of dispersal (centrifugal). The inter-action of these two trends produces a new form of settlement called the metropolis. This phenomenon is the result of the scientific and technological advances of the past century. The spread of population outward from the core has brought with it a corresponding decentralization of the government pattern. New units of local government have multiplied with astonishing rapidity in the outlying areas. Metropolitan problems, such as water supply, sewage disposal, open space, transportation, unbalanced taxation, cannot be met without some fairly substantial institutional changes and comprehensive planning on an area-wide basis. In Canada, we have generally used a committee system for our local government organization. However, our local governments are unable to deal with these recently developed metropolitan problems. They have to be re-organized; and the attempts to re-organize local governments have been along the following lines: (1) inter-governmental arrangements; (2) special-purpose authorities; (3) annexation or consolidation; and, (4) city-county separation and consolidation. However, none of these attempts has furnished a satisfactory solution to the manifold problems involved in the development of the metropolitan area as a whole. Although community planning can be traced back to ancient times, the modern era of city planning began in this century. Today, city planning has been recognized as an aspect of the process of local government. However, regions of high population density and complex urban development activities require a responsible planning function for the development of regional interests. The metropolitan planning agency should seek establishment and acceptance of goals, both long-range and immediate, for the metropolitan area's physical, economic, and social development. It should strive to co-ordinate local planning, both public and private. The most desirable arrangement is that the metropolitan planning function is integrated into an area-wide and multi-functional government. By this, the planning function can more easily be tied into the programs and decision-making processes of an on-going body that has operational powers. We desire efficient government. Large-scale, metropolitan wide organization is not the most appropriate scale of organization for the provision of all public services required in a metropolis. Local governments still have vital roles to play in the lives of their citizens and in these roles they should be conserved. However, municipalities can be made more nearly equal in size through consolidation and amalgamation to strengthen the capacity of their local governments. Then, a division of functions between the "metropolitan" government and the "local" governments is necessary. The same argument is that reasonable distinction can be drawn between the concerns of metropolitan planning and those of local community planning. Duties and authorities must be appropriate to area, population, and financial resources. Only when all of these factors are balanced at the highest level, will community satisfaction be maximized. Based on the theoretical findings, the Criteria for the purposes of testing the actual cases can be derived as in the followings: I. Metropolitan government authority should be organized as general--purpose government. II. Metropolitan government authority should have enough legal powers to perform services. III. Metropolitan government authority should remain controllable by and accessible to its citizens. IV. Local municipalities should be modified to make efficient local governments, and local planning functions should be encouraged. V. Geographic adequacy. VI. Basic metropolitan planning function should be research, planning, co-operation and co-ordination, and advice and assistance. VII. Metropolitan planning body should have power of review over local plans. Three actual cases are studied based on Criteria to test the hypothesis on its practical grounds. The three cases are Metropolitan Vancouver Area, Metropolitan Winnipeg Area, and Metropolitan Toronto Area. The three metropolitan government authorities are studied under Criteria I to V; and the planning functions are studied under Criteria III to VII. The study both in depth and in scope of these three metropolitan areas is able to prove the validity of the Criteria which are derived from the theoretical findings. Therefore, the hypothesis is properly proved to be both theoretically and practically valid. In Canada, the provinces have vital roles to play in resolving our metropolitan problems. However, this should be the subject of another work. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Community and Regional Planning (SCARP), School of / Graduate

In studying the capacity of Canadian Indians for local government on their reserves two objects are sought. First we wish to show the extent to which Indians are involved in directing the affairs of their communities. Second, we hope to discover where Indians, in comparison with other Canadians, are incapacitated by virtue of their special legal, social and economic status. Research for this study was gleaned from files, publications and records of interviews in the offices of the Indian Affairs Branch of the federal government, provincial departments of municipal affairs and offices of municipal associations in Ottawa, Toronto, Winnipeg, Edmonton and Vancouver. We begin our study by investigating the reality of local government for non-Indians. Then we look at the capacity of Indians for similar forms of local authority on their reserves. Capacity is examined in terms of legal competence, existing economic and administrative ability to carry out local functions and potential for future development of local government. Non-Indian local government is developed under a complex set of provincial legal and economic controls. Non-Indian municipalities appear to be mainly oriented towards the provision of local services. In contrast Indian local government is developed under the federal legislation of the Indian Act. A flexible interpretation of the Act by federal officials permits the development of local government forms to suit the needs of particular reserves. On the other hand controls exercised by federal officials, along with deficiencies in local economic resources and administrative skills, tend to retard the growth of local government. A possible way for the reduction of differences between Indian and non-Indian capacities would involve the integration of bands and municipalities within a common framework of local government. There is little evidence at present of such integration if measured in terms of transactions between bands and municipalities, common opportunities under federal and provincial programs of grants and joint membership in regional governments and local government associations. A set of alternative courses is considered for Indian communities to follow in the future. We conclude that evolution of local government under the Indian Act seems the most appropriate means by which Indian capacities can be used both to improve local services and to develop non-Indian political skills among Indians. / Arts, Faculty of / Political Science, Department of / Graduate