Meet Your Community Leaders: Mayors, Councillors, and Chiefs

Your community has special leaders who help make important decisions. These leaders work hard to keep your neighbourhood safe, clean, and running well. You can learn about Roles of Community Workers to see how leaders and workers help each other.

There are different kinds of leaders depending on where you live. In cities and towns, you have a mayor and councillors. In First Nations communities, you have a chief and a band council.

A mayor is the leader of a city or town. The mayor helps make rules and decisions to keep the community safe and running well. The mayor also speaks for the whole city when important choices need to be made.

In British Columbia, the capital city is Victoria, and it has its own mayor. Vancouver is the largest city in British Columbia and also has a mayor. Mayors serve for a few years, called a term, which is four years in British Columbia.

You might wonder how a mayor is chosen. Adult community members vote to pick their mayor in an election. The person with the most votes becomes the mayor. You can learn more about Democratic Processes to understand how voting works.

Councillors are community leaders who work alongside the mayor. They listen to what people in the community need and help make decisions that are good for everyone. A council always has more than one councillor working together.

At council meetings, councillors talk about community needs and make choices. They help decide things like where to build parks and how to keep streets clean and safe. Any adult citizen can run to become a councillor in Canada.

A chief is the leader of a First Nations community. The chief speaks on behalf of the community and helps make important decisions for the people. A chief helps protect the community's land and rights.

A band council is a group of leaders that includes a chief and band councillors. Together, they make important decisions for their First Nations community. The band council is the local government of a First Nations community. You will explore more about Modern Indigenous Governance as you keep learning.

Community leaders have special places where they come together to talk and make decisions. City hall is the building where the mayor and councillors hold their meetings. Inside city hall, there is a special room called council chambers where councillors vote on community rules.

A band office is where the chief and band council meet to do their work. A band hall is a building on a reserve where the band council gathers. A reserve is the land set aside for a First Nations community to live and govern themselves.

Community leaders make decisions about things that affect everyone. They help make bylaws, which are local community rules made by the city or town council. Good community leaders help make your community safe and clean.

Leaders listen to ideas and concerns from all community members at council meetings. This connects to what you learned in Decision Makers and the Impact of Their Choices. You can also explore Regional Decision-Making Processes to learn more about how these choices are made.

Mayor: A mayor is the leader of a city or town in Canada. The mayor helps make rules and decisions to keep the community safe and running well.

Councillor: A councillor is an elected member who helps make rules for the community alongside the mayor. Councillors listen to community members and help make good decisions for everyone.

Chief: A chief is the leader of a First Nations community. The chief speaks for the community and helps protect their land and rights.

Band Council: A band council is a group of elected members, including a chief and band councillors, who help govern a First Nations community. They work together to make important decisions.

City Hall: City hall is the building where a mayor and councillors hold their meetings. It is the official meeting place for local city government leaders.

Band Hall: A band hall is a building on a reserve where the band council gathers to meet and discuss community matters.

Council Chambers: Council chambers is the special room inside city hall where councillors vote on community rules and make decisions.

Reserve: A reserve is the land set aside for a First Nations community to live and govern themselves.

Bylaw: A bylaw is a local community rule made by the city or town council. Bylaws help keep the community organized and safe.

Band Office: A band office is where the chief and band council meet to do their work and make decisions for the First Nations community.

Council Meeting: A council meeting is when leaders gather together to talk about community decisions and listen to ideas from community members.

Local Government: Local government includes the leaders who make decisions for your town or city, like the mayor and councillors.

You can think about the leaders in your own community. Can you name your mayor or a local councillor? Try to find out where your city hall is located.

You can also think about how leaders listen to people. When you share your ideas at school, you are practising the same skill that community leaders use. Learn more about Community Problem Solving to see how everyone can help make good decisions.

You have already learned about Basic Government Functions and Functions and Services of Local Government, which help you understand why communities need leaders. You also explored Laws and Safety and how rules keep communities safe.

Your learning about First Peoples Ways of Life helps you understand why chiefs and band councils are so important. Understanding Balancing Individual Rights Against Public Interest shows you why leaders must think about everyone, not just one person.

This topic connects to many other important ideas you will explore. You will learn about Community Leaders in more detail as you continue your learning journey. You will also discover Consensus vs Traditional Leadership in Decision Making to understand different ways leaders make choices.

Learning about Municipal Public Services: Transportation, Policing, and Firefighting shows you the services that community leaders help organize. You can explore Community Support and Shared Responsibility for Helping Others to see how leaders and community members work together.

As you grow in your learning, you will study Native American Confederacies and Elder Governance Systems and Indigenous Communities to understand more about First Nations leadership. You will also explore Essential Services, Making Change, and Basic Rights and Freedoms that community leaders help protect.