Municipalities are charged with the responsibility to provide good government, provide services, and the stewardship of public community assets, as well as to foster economic, social and environmental well-being.
The legal framework for cities and municipalities to represent the interests and respond to the needs of their communities is provided by:
The Municipalities Act, 1999
The City of St. John's Act
The City of Mount Pearl Act, and
The City of Corner Brook Act
For the purposes of this review, these four Acts are collectively referred to as the "Municipal Legislation".
Why is Government reviewing the Municipal Legislation?
The municipal legislation has been around for decades. While various amendments have occurred over time, this is the first comprehensive review of this legislation.
These laws affect cities and municipalities across the province and the residents within those communities. Like all laws, they must be updated from time to time.
This review is intended to result in an effective and modern framework for municipal governance.
Get Involved
The formal program of public engagement and stakeholder consultation for the municipal legislation review is now complete. The Provincial Government wishes to thank everyone who participated in the engagement process. The input and feedback received is valuable for developing effective and user-friendly legislation which meets the needs and expectations of stakeholders and the public.
The information collected through all parts of the engagement process is being reviewed by the Department of Municipal Affairs and Environment. All feedback will be considered as officials prepare recommendations for modernizing the legislation.
Results from Phase I and Phase II Engagement
Written submissions were received from 74 individuals, businesses, municipalities, interest groups, and professional organizations.
145 people participated at 11 regional in-person events.
In addition to polling questions, more than 1,200 individual ideas or recommendations were captured during group discussions.
16 individuals completed an online questionnaire, answering a number of polling questions and generating 55 additional ideas.
Members of Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador (MNL) and the Newfoundland and Labrador Professional Municipal Administrators (PMA) also contributed during interactive presentations.
Phase I - Written Submissions
Click here to view written submissions the department received.
**All submissions and information provided by participants during the first consultation phase, including their name and organizations, where applicable, are available on this website for public viewing. For more information on the publication policy, please click here.
Phase II - In-Person Sessions
Regional in-person engagement sessions followed a small table discussion format where participants provided feedback on a number of topics related to the structure and operation of municipalities. Click here to view the data collected during the 11 sessions.
Phase II - Online Questionnaire
Those unable to attend a regional session, and those who had more to say, were able to contribute to the discussion by completing an online questionnaire. Click here to see the results.
Phase II - Interactive Presentations
Polling surveys were conducted during presentations made at the 2018 Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador (MNL) Municipal Symposium and the 2018 Professional Municipal Administrators Newfoundland and Labrador (PMA) Convention. View the results:
The collection of information is done under the authority of section 61(c) of the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act, 2015, for the purpose of collecting public feedback on the current municipal legislation and ways to improve it.
Any personal information that may be received will be governed in accordance with the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act, 2015 and will only be used for the purpose of informing the comprehensive review of the municipal legislation.
Contact Us
If you have any questions about how the information was collected, used, and disclosed, or have additional comments regarding the municipal legislation review, please email [email protected] or call (709) 729-5539.
