{"id":8680,"date":"2014-03-05T08:50:11","date_gmt":"2014-03-05T16:50:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/?p=8680"},"modified":"2014-03-06T09:53:27","modified_gmt":"2014-03-06T17:53:27","slug":"like-pieces-of-a-puzzle-amalgamation-in-greater-victoria","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/2014\/03\/05\/like-pieces-of-a-puzzle-amalgamation-in-greater-victoria\/","title":{"rendered":"Like pieces of a puzzle: Amalgamation in Greater Victoria"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019re looking to get emotions flying in Victoria, I suggest you say this one word: amalgamation.<\/p>\n

Amalgamating would mean that the 13 municipalities that make up Greater Victoria would merge to form one, two, or three units. It\u2019s far from a new idea: municipal amalgamation has been a topic of discussion in this city since the early 1900s. The conversation is so old that most Greater Victoria residents were convinced it was never going to happen. But recently, something changed that mindset.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Should Greater Victoria’s 13 municipalities remain apart or come together? (Photo by Greg Pratt\/Nexus<\/em>.)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Check the letters to the editor in any local news source and you\u2019ll see: Greater Victoria residents are using the A-word again. What changed is the creation of the Capital Region Municipal Amalgamation Society, commonly known as Amalgamation Yes. Amalgamation Yes is a group of Greater Victoria residents and policymakers who lobbied Victoria City Council to have the following question placed on the municipal ballot in November: \u201cAre you in favour of reducing the number of municipalities in the Capital Regional District through amalgamation?\u201d<\/p>\n

A \u201cno\u201d vote on that question means putting the amalgamation issue to bed… for now. A \u201cyes\u201d vote, though, would mean requesting the province of British Columbia do a study in Greater Victoria to determine the feasibility of amalgamation and the best possible options for municipal restructuring.<\/p>\n

It sounds like a lot of work. On the other hand, so does administrating 360,000 people with 91 mayors and councillors. Assuming your taps flow, your garbage disappears on garbage day, and you have access to well-kept parks, you might be thinking, \u201cWho cares?\u201d<\/p>\n

The answer might surprise you. We decided to catch up with a few voices on both sides of the argument to try to get to the bottom of what amalgamation in Greater Victoria really means.<\/p>\n

Amalgamation always<\/strong><\/p>\n

Some Victorians have made it their life\u2019s work to see that we lose some of our municipalities and follow suit with Canadian cities like Calgary, Halifax, and Toronto, all of which have amalgamation in their past. Amalgamation supporters come from all walks of life. In Amalgamation Yes, there are retired police officers, teachers, sales representatives, and even a former deputy minister. It\u2019s no surprise why Amalgamation Yes spokesman John Vickers calls his own contingent of pro-amalgamators a \u201ccross-section of the community.\u201d<\/p>\n

Vickers himself is no exception. Originally from the Maritimes, Vickers moved to Victoria with his home alarm business. Now retired from the security business, Vickers dedicates his time and efforts to the community. His might not be a name you recognize, but if you\u2019ve been around Victoria in the last few summers you have likely seen the fruits of his efforts. Vickers coordinates both the Chalk Art Festival and the Buskers\u2019 Festival, created recently but now staples of Victorian summers. When he finds time away from organizing community events, Vickers is a leading voice for Amalgamation Yes.<\/p>\n

For Vickers, Amalgamation Yes\u2019 mission is democracy. \u201cWe don\u2019t even have a position on 13 or three [municipalities],\u201d he says. \u201cWe just want a community dialogue.\u201d<\/p>\n

Not surprisingly, Vickers and his crew are very pro-amalgamation, but that isn\u2019t their immediate mission, he says. Vickers and Amalgamation Yes are counting on support for amalgamation to be high enough to warrant a study on its feasibility. \u201cCFAX has done about eight [surveys]. They\u2019ve all been about 70 or 72 percent in favour of amalgamation. We thought, \u2018Let\u2019s get a non-binding question on the municipal ballot.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Referendum or no, there is much more to amalgamation than a simple joining of municipalities. Vickers claims that amalgamation is primarily about efficiency.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the end of the day, when you lay out police, fire, municipal planning, transportation… there is a strong opinion out there that we a very over-governed region,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

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John Vickers of Amalgamation Yes (photo by Matthew Helliwell\/Nexus<\/em>).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

While certainly not everyone in Victoria believes that, enough do to produce 70 percent in those aforementioned polls. In the City of Victoria, Marianne Alto represents those voices.<\/p>\n

Alto, a City of Victoria councillor, deals every day with issues at the municipal level. She says, at least in the \u201ccore municipalities\u201d of Victoria, Saanich, Oak Bay, and Esquimalt, amalgamation just makes sense. \u201cWhere I think there is potential for benefit is in planning and service delivery,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

On the planning note, she points to the Shelbourne corridor by Hillside Mall and the Lansdowne campus. \u201cIn the Victoria section, south of North Dairy, it\u2019s zoned for a higher density use. When it becomes Saanich, it\u2019s different zoning. In the core municipalities, you can see many examples where we would have better planning.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pro-amalgamators say that an amalgamated community would make it much easier to approve developments, since there would be only one, two, or three zoning regulations to follow, as opposed to the current 13. Alto also says that an amalgamated community would be better at delivery emergency services.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you start talking about fire, police, ambulance, it just makes sense,\u201d she says, referencing recent tragedies where local residents were \u201cbounced from one municipality to another just to get through to 911.\u201d The absorption of some municipalities into others would mean that police forces could patrol greater areas and not rely on neighbouring departments.<\/p>\n

Alto thinks it\u2019s important to dispel a few myths surrounding the amalgamation question. First off, amalgamation does not necessarily mean all 13 municipalities coming together.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think that makes sense, and I don\u2019t think many people think that makes sense. You\u2019re still going to have multiple municipalities, just bigger,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Alto was largely responsible for the non-binding amalgamation referendum being placed on November\u2019s municipal ballot. Even though she favours amalgamation, Alto says that is not the point. Rather than trying to push an agenda, Alto says that the referendum question will determine how much time and money is spent on pursuing amalgamation. \u201cI don\u2019t care what the answer is,\u201d she says. \u201cFor me it is a matter of informing future priorities.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alto stresses that the Victoria municipality is not pursuing any action toward amalgamation before the question is posed in November. There\u2019s just no harm in adding the question to the ballot, she says. \u201cI just think it\u2019s really important to ask the question. If it changes or not, it\u2019s going to affect you. You should have a voice at that table.\u201d<\/p>\n

Amalgamation No<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong>One of amalgamation\u2019s opponents is Camosun political science instructor Mona Brash. To Brash, it doesn\u2019t matter how loudly pro-amalgamators shout \u201cinefficiency.\u201d It might be the case that we could be running our region more efficiently, but she feels Amalgamation Yes is going about things the wrong way.<\/p>\n

Brash points to the BC legislation that says the provincial government can no longer force municipalities to amalgamate. Under the legislation, \u201cmunicipalities who are interested in amalgamating… are the ones who are to initiate it.\u201d Brash rejects what she calls Amalgamation Yes\u2019 \u201ctop-down\u201d approach to amalgamation, since their question would prompt a provincial study and, potentially, a provincially mandated amalgamation.<\/p>\n

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Camosun College’s Mona Brash questions Amalgamation Yes’ techniques (photo by Matthew Helliwell\/Nexus<\/em>).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Also, the question posed by Amalgamation Yes is problematic, Brash says. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t say anything. Which municipalities? North Saanich and Central Saanich? Victoria and Oak Bay? There are quite a large number of combinations.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brash also rejects the supposed outcome. She believes a \u201cyes\u201d vote on the referendum question will not prompt a provincial study, as Amalgamation Yes hopes. The possible combinations are too many, and not properly laid out in the referendum. \u201cDo you really think the provincial government is going to spend money [on a study]? Not when the process already exists,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Beyond what she sees as an imperfect question, Brash does not necessarily oppose the principle of amalgamation in Greater Victoria. Rather, she invites citizens of different municipalities to initiate it by lobbying their council, as called for by provincial law. However, Brash does claim that \u201cnobody has successfully argued for any groups of municipalities to amalgamate. The proof is in the pudding: the citizens are not calling for amalgamation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Additionally, Brash says that in amalgamation debates and literature in Victoria, \u201cpeople are not debating the same issue. They\u2019re debating apples and turnips.\u201d Staunch anti-amalgamators argue they will lose access to politicians and control over municipalities, among other things. Pro-amalgamators, like Amalgamation Yes, argue that amalgamation is better for efficiency and better for business. \u201cThey\u2019re talking about totally different things,\u201d Brash says. \u201cMore people live in municipalities than do business. The biggest investment anyone has is their home. You have much more control at the local level.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ultimately, Brash says, the notion that an amalgamated region would be an efficient region does not hold water. \u201cLook at the literature. The efficiency argument can easily be refuted. How do you measure democracy, access to politicians, and control over where you live?\u201d<\/p>\n

No stranger to democracy and politicians is Jim McDavid, professor and graduate advisor in the school of public administration at the University of Victoria. McDavid has extensive experience in local government in British Columbia. He does not oppose the principle of amalgamation, but he is not convinced that it is right for Victoria.<\/p>\n

The proposed models in Victoria, McDavid says, are based on what he calls \u201cthe aesthetics of administrative simplicity.\u201d Simply reducing the number of municipalities, councillors, and mayors might look good on paper, but ultimately misses the point of local government, he says. \u201cA local government is to represent the views of the people within a geographic area,\u201d says McDavid, adding that gutting the number of voices at that table doesn\u2019t always work in anyone\u2019s favour.<\/p>\n

The municipalities in Greater Victoria have enough trouble cooperating as it is. Amalgamating them might end up with more disagreements. According to McDavid, \u201cWhen you put two cities together that are different from each other, you\u2019re going to have winners and losers.\u201d The only likely way an amalgamation is going to end well is if two or more municipalities initiate the process, says McDavid. Even then, the onus is on the citizens to be well informed.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf the people within any two or three or four communities were to agree that the benefits to amalgamating would outweigh the costs, they should be free to do so. That\u2019s the way the [BC law] currently reads,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Therefore, municipalities don\u2019t need Amalgamation Yes or a question on the ballot, says Brash. Want to amalgamate? \u201cGo ahead,\u201d she says. \u201cThe process is right there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still, McDavid says there is no harm in placing the referendum on the ballot. \u201cIf [Amalgamation Yes] is successful in getting a straw vote on the ballot, fine. That\u2019s going to be a good indicator of interest.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, there is almost no way that the vote will initiate any kind of provincial action, he says. \u201cIf the goal is to get the province involved,\u201d says McDavid, \u201cthat\u2019s not going to happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

McDavid warns any students and voters not to fall into the trap of aesthetic simplicity.<\/p>\n

\u201cDo not make assumptions that the more mayors and councillors you have, the more difficult it is to govern in a metropolitan area,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

McDavid invites students to participate in the process of local government and become informed on amalgamation, but remains unoptimistic that Amalgamation Yes\u2019 initiative will affect much change.<\/p>\n

Where do we go from here?<\/strong><\/p>\n

As you can see, there is no shortage of opinion on the amalgamation question here in Greater Victoria. The issue is certainly far from black and white.<\/p>\n

And, whether you love it or hate it, you just might have an opportunity to have your voice heard.<\/p>\n

If you live in the City of Victoria or Colwood, the referendum on amalgamation will appear on your ballot on November 15. These are the only two municipalities whose councils have approved having the question on the ballot as of press time. Other councils may approve the same question, a version better suited to their municipality, or no question at all.<\/p>\n

With or without a referendum, amalgamation has been around way longer than any of us. Come November, we\u2019ll see if it sticks around much longer.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019re looking to get emotions flying in Victoria, I suggest you say this one word: amalgamation. Amalgamating would mean that the 13 municipalities that make up Greater Victoria would merge to form one, two, or three units. It\u2019s far from a new idea: municipal amalgamation has been a topic of discussion in this city […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":8681,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,123],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8680","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-features","category-march-5-2014"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8680","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8680"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8680\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8684,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8680\/revisions\/8684"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8681"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8680"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8680"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8680"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}