DCHP-3

download

DCHP-2 (Oct 2016)
1v. — Finance, Administration

transfer costs to a lower level of government.

Type: 3. Semantic Change — Download has been used in computer language since the 1970s (see OED-3, s.v. "download" v.). In Canada, the term has undergone semantic change and in certain contexts refers to the transfer of costs from a higher level of government to a lower one.
See also COD-2. s.v. "download" (2), which is marked "Cdn".

Quotations

1992
Municipal government, which has complained bitterly about senior government "downloading" of financial responsibilities, should stay away from it so it doesn't get drawn into taking even more of those responsibilities, he said.
2002
Nebbeling promised that the charter would make it illegal for the provincial government to download costs onto municipal governments without providing the tools to raise the funds.
2006
There are other ongoing and future issues that will significantly impact the town such as the rebuild of Oak Ridge, waste disposal, the expansion of our Municipal town hall, our need to refurbish our downtown and the continued pressure from provincial and county governments to reduce services and download costs to the municipality.
2013
"We do hope that Health Canada comes forward with more than two inspectors for the whole program," said Mayor Gaetz. "You can't start a business and then download costs to local government."
2v. — in extended use, Administration

transfer something from a higher to a lower level.

Type: 3. Semantic Change — Download can also refer to the transfer of other things, such as responsibility or authority, from a higher level of government to a lower one.
See also COD-2, s.v. "download" (2), which is marked "Cdn".

Quotations

1997
How about public transit, and the local tax money that will be required to keep it alive once the Harris government downloads full responsibility for our bus service to the region?
2011
Well, I believe they will be disappointed. To me the Finn Report means the government will download certain authority to the new regions that will be mapped out in the near future.
2013
But in an email on Thursday, ministry spokeswoman Sandra Steilo said that if a landlord fails to maintain a trailer park, "tenants should bring their concerns to the local government, which is responsible for standards of maintenance." Villeneuve calls that response a "downloading" of responsibilities, and Hammell agreed. "When it's a provincial law, unless there is an agreement (with the municipality), then they're responsible for the law," she said. "We can, as governors and legislators, argue about whose jurisdiction what lies in, but what happens is the citizens of the city and the province end up the ones suffering."

References

  • COD-2
  • OED-3