Author: Casey Vander Ploeg
In spite of the ongoing discussions in Canada about the fiscal health of its cities, there has been few studies dedicated to exploring, in detail, the issue of where and how much western Canada’s municipalities spend. Framed around four main questions, Big Spenders? sets out to analyze the make-up, history, trends, and future implications of big city spending, based on an in-depth analysis of financial statements and supporting schedules of 80 annual reports issued by the six big western Canadian cities.
This report was authored by the Canada West Foundation’s Senior Policy Analyst, Casey Vander Ploeg. It is part of a larger series of reports discussing municipal finance issues under the Foundation’s Western Cities Project.