Who does what?
In Canada, government responsibilities are shared across three levels: federal, provincial, and municipal. At the municipal level, services can be further divided between local and regional governments.
Oxford County is made up of nine municipal governments:
-
- City of Woodstock;
- the towns of Tillsonburg and Ingersoll;
- the townships of Blandford-Blenheim, East Zorra-Tavistock, Norwich, South-West Oxford and Zorra; and,
- Oxford County, which serves as the as the regional government, providing shared services across all eight area municipalities.
Each level of government plays a distinct role in delivering programs and services that impact our daily lives. Explore how these responsibilities are divided, and what services each level provides, in the "Who does what" guide below.
Local area municipality*
- Animal control
- Birth, death and marriage licenses
- Building permits and inspections
- By-law enforcement
- Fire protection and prevention
- Economic Development
- Heritage, arts and culture
- Library (City of Woodstock only)
- Local roads (streets, bridges and sidewalks)
- Municipal cemeteries
- Municipal elections
- Parks and recreation
- Policing (Woodstock Police Service/OPP contract)
- Property tax administration
- Transit
- Economic Development
* In Oxford: Blandford-Blenheim, East Zorra-Tavistock, Norwich, Ingersoll, South-West Oxford, Tillsonburg, Woodstock or Zorra
Regional government
- Affordable housing and homelessness
- County roads, bridges and active transportation
- Land use and development planning
- Landfill
- Library (Oxford County Library system; excludes Woodstock Public Library)
- Long-Term Care (Woodingford Lodge)
- Social housing
- Social services
- Paramedic services
- Property tax policy
- Provincial offences administration
- Public health (through Southwestern Public Health)
- Waste management services
- Drinking water
- Wastewater
- Tourism
Provincial government
- Administration of justice
- Agriculture
- Curbside recycling collection and processing
- Drivers' licences
- Environment
- Hospitals, health care and health cards
- Jails and prisons
- Laws
- Natural resources
- Police Services (OPP)
- Property and civil rights
- Provincial highways
- Sales tax
- Schools and education
- Post secondary schools
Federal government
- Census
- Citizenship
- Copyrights
- Criminal law
- Defence
- External and international relations
- Employment insurance
- Immigration
- Income tax
- Indigenous affairs
- Money and banking
- Postal service
- Transportation