The Applicability of British Columbia\u27s Regional Districts as a model of Regional Governance for Newfoundland and Labrador

Adequate service delivery, equitable representation, and efficient financing have been at the forefront of local government issues in Newfoundland and Labrador since before confederation. Regional governance is a means to achieve more efficient service provision, better representation of rural interests, and a stronger financing model. This paper asks to what extent can the British Columbia Regional District model be applied to the Newfoundland and Labrador context. The paper first provides the reader with an understanding of the regional governance issues currently faced within Newfoundland and Labrador before delving into an analysis of the origins, history, and evolution of the Regional District model in British Columbia. To illustrate the potential and barriers to applying the regional district model in Newfoundland and Labrador, three cross-provincial pairs of regions are compared. The author concludes that Newfoundland and Labrador faces many of the same issues as British Columbia when it implemented regional districts fifty years ago, and is well positioned to pursue an analogous regional governance model