Service level standards are provincial requirements specifying minimum quality, frequency, or performance measures for municipal services. Standards exist for drinking water quality, wastewater treatment, road maintenance, fire response times, social housing conditions, and more. Standards ensure consistent service quality across the province regardless of which municipality residents live in. However, meeting standards costs money, and municipalities argue that provinces should fund mandated standards rather than imposing unfunded requirements. Some standards are prescriptive (specifying how services must be delivered) while others are performance-based (specifying outcomes while allowing flexibility in methods). Standards are regularly reviewed and updated.