Specialization in Public Administration

The public-administration map shows the specialization in employment for the federal, provincial and municipal governments, and for the aggregate of the three public-administration sectors. The employment in public administration is primarily important for the economic impact of government jobs on local communities. Public administration favours the capital cities; however, in recent years, the increasing employment in education and health services has identified urban centres based on the location of universities or regional health-care facilities.

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Photograph of Parliament Buildings, Ottawa, Ontario

Geographical Description

This map consists of four thematic map layers that show public-administration specialization in terms of overall public-administration activity (initial map view) and individual specialization in federal, provincial and municipal activities. On all map layers, the size of the circles is proportional to the population of the cities, while the degree of specialization is shown by the colour.

In general, the industrial cities of southern Ontario and Quebec are less favoured. Many of the disadvantaged locations are the same cities that lose out in the private sector: those places that lie in the shadow of larger cities. Large cities typically have values close to zero because of their diversity. Rural and urban differences in public administration are very strong. In the Prairie provinces, for example, the smaller rural cities, which are located farther away from the larger Prairie cities, serve a wider rural community. There are also major variations within the urban areas that surround the larger consolidated metropolitan regions such as Toronto and Montréal: some specialize in public services, while others are largely residential.

Clusters of federal-government centres have developed in and around Ottawa (for example, Hull, Quebec; Kanata, Ontario) and at locations with large military bases (for example, Victoria, British Columbia; Grand Centre, Alberta; Halifax, Nova Scotia). Federal-government specialization is also proportionally high in provincial and territorial capitals. Provincial-government specialization is highest in the provincial capitals and in resource-based centres (for example, Kenora, Ontario; Thompson, Manitoba), which tend to serve as regional centres in the more outlying areas of their provinces. Municipal specialization is sensitive to income level (ability to pay), with some of the highest values occurring in the wealthier urban centres surrounding Toronto (for example, Halton Hills and Georgina) and Montréal (for example, Varennes and Beloeil), where urban centres with higher incomes can support more services. Rural and urban differences in municipal government activity are very strong, since smaller and dispersed populations (as found in rural areas) simply do not support as many services as urban places.

To properly interpret this map, please consult the text Data and Mapping Notes.

• Specialization in Public Services (overall) Map | Read about this map
• Specialization in Health and Education Services Map | Read about this map

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• The Service Industries
• Specialization in Public Services
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