It's absolutely important. I think Councillor Symmonds talked earlier about government getting out of the way. I always talk about ending homelessness, and I get asked to travel the country. If they want me to come to Vancouver, for instance, and tell them how to solve their problem, the first thing I will tell them is that I don't know. I know how we did it in Medicine Hat, but they know Vancouver better than I do, so it will take local leadership. I will not walk into their city and tell them they're doing it wrong. As Councillor Symmonds mentioned, leave it to the people on the ground who actually know.
In terms of municipal government, if other levels of government just gave the municipalities the money and allowed them to spend it on infrastructure or whatever it is, we would be so much further ahead. Frankly, someone in Ottawa doesn't know which sidewalks need to be fixed here in this city. We do. The closer you are to the problem, the more likely you are to make the correct decision.
We do have to work together. Municipalities only have 8% of tax revenue, yet provide all the services.