The exam will cover weeks 1 to 6 of the course. Carefully review the course material in the first 6 weeks, including newspaper articles, lecture slides and other material posted on Quercus, and your individual class notes. This list of study questions will guide you through your preparation. Consider forming study groups to review readings, discuss the questions, and compare and share class notes.

In order to be successful, you will have read all of the required readings and will be familiar with all of the course material we have considered thus far.

Exam Format:

You will answer 4 questions in total from the list below for the midterm. Kelly will choose one for everyone to answer and you will choose three more from the list. You will answer your questions drawing from course lectures, guest presentations, assigned readings, additional readings posted to Quercus and your individual notes.

As a ballpark guide, your written answers should be about 2 pages (single-spaced) or 4 pages (double-spaced) long. Each answer will be worth 5 marks for a total of 20.

Study Questions:

1. Where does the Constitutional Authority for the municipal and planning law framework in Ontario originate? Illustrate your answer by referring to the process of the 1998 amalgamation of Metropolitan Toronto into the “Mega-City” and/or the introduction of Bill5 – “Better Local Government Act, 2018”.

2. There are two distinct ways of organizing municipal governments in Ontario – Single Tiered and 2-Tiered, what are the differences between the two models and why were these two distinct models developed?

3. What are the roles and powers of the Mayor and Council in Ontario? At the municipal level, where does primary decision-making authority rest for local matters?

4. Makuch presents a detailed discussion of the two primary roles that municipal governments play in terms of their intended function, what are these two roles and describe what, if any, tension exists between these roles?