City Departments

There are 10 City departments including: Administration, Finance, Fire, Human Resources, Parks and Recreation, Planning and Heritage, Police, Public Works, Sustainability, and the Water and Sewer Utility.

Each department has a manager who oversees the work of the employees within that department. All of the managers report to the Chief Administrative Officer, who also serves as the manager for the Administration Department.

It can be hard to know what each department handles and where to go if you have questions or an inquiry on a specific service. Below is a guide breaking down some of the the key responsibilities and services of each department.

Administration covers the City’s Economic Development, Tourism, Events and Communication offices. Like their titles suggest, these are the offices responsible for initiatives and services that relate to advancing the City’s economy through tourism and hosting and attracting events.

They are also the departments that work on marketing and promotion and assist the other departments with community engagement and event logistics.

The Finance Department is responsible for handling all the financial affairs of the municipality under the direction of the CAO and on behalf of Council. They track how much money is coming in and how much is going out, and make sure the capital and operational budgets are balanced. .

The Fire Department provides fire suppression, medical aid response, rescue services, fire prevention and public education. The City of Charlottetown has two fire stations: one at 89 Kent Street and one at 152 St. Peters Road.

The Human Resources Department is responsible for recruitment, pension and benefits, payroll services, occupational health and safety, training and development, as well as labour relations and collective agreement and policy compliance.

Despite the popular belief that Councillors are responsible for City jobs, Human Resources is actually the department that works with the CAO on the organizational structure, as well as hiring.

Be sure to check out the City of Charlottetown's employment webpage for information on applying for jobs with the City.

The Parks and Recreation department strives to enhance the quality of life for residents and visitors by ensuring there is a wide range of physical activity and healthy living opportunities for residents.

They are responsible for maintaining, protecting, and enhancing existing and future parks, open spaces, trails, outdoor rinks, boardwalks, City arenas and sport facilities, and offering direct delivery programs such as the popular Intro to Sports and summer day camps.

The Planning and Heritage Department helps the city grow and accommodate development, while ensuring that its heritage is celebrated and preserved with the goal of a vibrant, healthy and livable city.

The staff in this department assist builders and developers in areas of zoning, design review, and permits. They maintain the City’s official plan, which is the plan that guides development decisions in the city.

They also manage the Zoning and Development bylaw, which is essentially the rules applied to any development in Charlottetown.

This Department is also responsible for heritage preservation, and they even offer incentive programs.

Charlottetown Police Services is the municipal police force responsible for crime prevention and investigations, law enforcement, and public education through programs like ‘Picture This’, which relates to negative consequences from Social Media, and Healthy Me, which covers topics like drugs and alcohol abuse.

While their services are specific to the City of Charlottetown, they also work in collaboration RCMP.

The Public Works Department administers infrastructure projects for the City like paving, sidewalk maintenance and construction, and traffic signals.

This department is also responsible for winter operations, as well as beautification efforts, such as street and sidewalk sweeping, mowing, planting, and maintaining flower beds.

The Sustainability Department is responsible for helping the city promote and practice sustainable initiatives such as the City’s Community Energy Plan and implementing the goals in the Integrated Community Sustainability Plan or ICSP.

Part of their focus is on initiative that support active transportation, the use of public transit, and food security.

This department also organizes community events or engagement activities such as Bike Week, the Fix It Fair and the Bring It Campaign, which aims to reduce single-use plastics.

Water and Sewer Utility is responsible for providing safe, clean water to the businesses and residents in Charlottetown, which also means it manages the water system, pumps and storage facilities that bring water from the watershed into the city system.

The Utility also operates the Charlottetown Pollution Control Plant or Wastewater Treatment Plant which is the collection and treatment system for all wastewater in Charlottetown.