Why municipal elections matter — and why we ignore them
Six provinces and one territory are holding elections this year, yet municipal races draw far less engagement than federal or provincial campaigns.
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This year, six of Canada's 10 provinces and one of its three territories have held or will hold municipal elections. Yet municipal government is the level that tends to receive the least engagement from Canadians — despite being the one that can most directly affect people's lives.
City councils handle property taxes, transit, policing, garbage collection, housing zoning, and local infrastructure — decisions that shape daily life more visibly than federal or provincial policy. Yet turnout remains low and coverage sparse.
Why do we pay so little attention? And what might increase turnout in elections coming up this fall?
In a recent podcast, host Caryn Ceolin spoke with John Michael McGrath, a writer and host at TVO, about the importance of municipalities and why engagement lags. The conversation explores what city councils actually do, why Canadians overlook them, and what it would take to rebuild participation in local democracy.