Learn more about each level of government
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Working together to deliver programs, services and support
Are you familiar with the different levels of government? Do you know how they work together to deliver Vaughan’s programs and services? The City of Vaughan operates within a two-tier municipal structure, which means there are two levels of government providing services to the community – a local municipality (the City) and a regional municipality (York Region).
The City also works closely with its government counterparts at the provincial and federal levels. Each level of government has different roles and responsibilities to conduct daily business, deliver citizen services or respond to a declared emergency. Learn more about each of them below.
The City of Vaughan is responsible for –
- Animal services
- Building permits
- Burial permits
- Cultural services
- Development applications and zoning plans
- Fire and rescue services
- Municipal by-law enforcement
- Organic, garbage and recycling collection
- Park and amenity closures
- Parking enforcement
- Property standards enforcement
- Property tax billing
- Recreation and fitness services
- Winter maintenance on local roads
York Region is responsible for –
- Ambulance and paramedic services
- Court services
- COVID-19 vaccine distribution
- Family and children services
- Housing and shelter support services
- Long-term care
- Police services
- Public health
- Public housing
- Regional transportation services (YRT, vivaNext)
- Social assistance services
- Solid waste management
- Water and wastewater services
- Winter maintenance for regional roads
The Province of Ontario is responsible for –
- Business support and closures
- Colleges and universities
- COVID-19 testing, vaccine distribution and maintaining a list of non-essential businesses
- Education
- Environmental services
- Healthcare
- Hospitals
- LCBO
- Schools
Although these responsibilities are managed at the provincial level, many are also shared with the federal government. For a complete list of Ontario government ministries, visit the Government of Ontario's website.
The Government of Canada is responsible for –
- Access to credit
- Business support
- Canada Child Benefit
- Canada Student Loans
- Citizenship
- Employee support
- Employment Insurance (EI)
- Foreign travel and support for Canadians abroad
- Income supports
- Income tax
- National defence
The federal government is made up of a variety of departments, agencies and Crown Corporations, each with their own individual roles and responsibilities. For a complete listing, visit the Government of Canada's website.
COVID-19
Throughout the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic, many resources are available at each level of government for people to stay informed and learn more:
- Vaughan’s COVID-19-related updates are available at vaughan.ca/COVID19 as well as in the newsroom section at vaughan.ca/news.
- York Region provides a multitude of online resources for members of the public, including information from Public Health officials, self-assessment guidelines, safety protocols and more. Explore these materials at york.ca/COVID19.
- The Ontario government continues to enhance measures on how public information is provided. The Province has launched ontario.ca/COVID19, a dedicated webpage with online resources and a data summary from Public Health Ontario.
Those who feel unwell and believe they have symptoms related to COVID-19 should contact York Region Public Health or Telehealth Ontario at 1-866-797-0000. For additional information and resources on COVID-19, visit York Region's website at york.ca/COVID19.
To receive the most recent updates, visit vaughan.ca/COVID19, sign up for Vaughan News and follow the official corporate channels on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.