Local Government in Action: A Simulation

Local Government in Action is a simulation about a fictional, medium-sized municipality called Summerville. It provides an interactive teaching tool with a focus on governance and community development in small and medium-sized municipalities in Canada. It also examines the major issues faced by resource-based communities and communities on the peripheries of metropolitan areas.

Participants in the simulation play the roles of municipal politicians, administrators, and community members in order to respond to a series of issues and challenges that confront Summerville. The simulation provides participants with a sense of what real decision-making is like by requiring them to deal with competing interests, conflicting points of view, and the occasional clash between common sense solutions and the actions that are permissible under law. It also demonstrates the processes involved in council meetings, the roles played by municipal staff, and the nature of the relationship between elected officials, appointed officials, and the public. Additionally, this exercise offers participants the opportunity to practice the skills required to make effective presentations, to participate in public meetings, and to lobby.

The text is accompanied by an instructor’s manual on CD-Rom that mirrors the content of the workbook and provides goals and ideas for making the simulation more successful in terms of pedagogy.