ABSTRACT
Local self-government denotes the right and the duty of local authorities to regulate and manage public affairs under their own responsibility and in the interests of the local population. Public responsibilities shall be exercised by those basic units of local government which are closest to the citizen. The absence of treaties has become more and more of an embarrassment for the governments of Canada and British Columbia – and more and more of a nuisance as the courts have ruled that there must be Aboriginal rights of some sort that have to be taken into account. The federal government was never very keen about this, and the American government has been even more hostile. Nevertheless, Insite, as it is called, has strong support from the municipal government, the health authority, and even the police. There are in fact thirteen municipalities in the area, and an overarching regional government, called the Capital Regional District.
