As Amalgamation Yes continues their quest to unify the CRDB次元官网网址檚 municipalities, a Saturday morning town hall at the Mary Winspear in Sidney gave citizens a look into how Duncan and North Cowichan actually moved ahead.
The meeting featured Maeve Maguire (a councillor from North Cowichan) and Mona Kaiser (a member of the Duncan-North Cowichan citizensB次元官网网址� assembly), who spoke about their experience with amalgamation and where the project stands today.
In her introduction, former Victoria councillor and member of Amalgamation Yes, Shellie Gudgeon, said she was saddened that amalgamation has become B次元官网网址渁 black and white issue.B次元官网网址�
The group has realized over the years that eliminating the CRD would be impossible. So, instead of one unified municipality, they now believe three municipalities (the Victoria-area core, the West Shore, and the Peninsula) make more sense instead of 13. This concept, which would retain the CRD, was B次元官网网址済eographically logicalB次元官网网址� and would B次元官网网址渞etain healthy competition,B次元官网网址� she said, and is now their preferred concept.
One completed study, called the Capital Integrated Services and Governance Initiative (CISGI), revealed a B次元官网网址減rofound depth of dysfunctionB次元官网网址� according to Gudgeon, but she added the studyB次元官网网址檚 terms of reference covered only integrated services (emergency services, for example), not integrated governance.
During the last municipal election, Duncan and North Cowichan both voted in favour of an amalgamation study. Maguire summarized the process they went through.
They retained a Toronto-based consulting firm, MASS LBP, to facilitate the process. The company sent 10,000 mailout invitations to the community, from which 36 respondents were eventually chosen based on community representation. The only thing linking them, said Kaiser, was B次元官网网址渟lightly nerdy wish to be part of this civic discussion.B次元官网网址�
After deliberating, the citizensB次元官网网址� assembly would recommend an answer to council. Council would approve their answer, turn it down, or ask for a delay. In this case, both councils approved the recommendation. Once council asks province to approve asking the question, it would be out of municipal hands.
Of the four councillors who joined the citizensB次元官网网址� assembly (two each from North Cowichan and Duncan), none of them had a political agenda, which B次元官网网址渋s the keyB次元官网网址� according to Maguire. They wondered how they were going to get through the material in six full Saturdays, but Kaiser said the time pressure and diversity of the group was helpful.
B次元官网网址淭his is how we should go about untangling a tangled community issue.B次元官网网址� said Kaiser. People can come with their opinions, but there is B次元官网网址渆ducational scaffoldingB次元官网网址� where you can test your assumptions, she said.
B次元官网网址淭he answer isnB次元官网网址檛 always having more people in the room debating an issue,B次元官网网址� said Kaiser. B次元官网网址淭he voices tend to get louder, not deeper.B次元官网网址� Kaiser felt empowered by participating and presenting their findings to council and felt a B次元官网网址渓iteB次元官网网址� version of this could work for many thorny issues.
B次元官网网址淚t was some of the most interesting volunteer work IB次元官网网址檝e done in 15 years,B次元官网网址� said Kaiser.
A long line of politicians approached the microphone, including Victoria Mayor Lisa Helps, Saanich Mayor Richard Atwell, Saanich North and the Islands MLA Adam Olsen and Peninsula-area councillors.
Atwell said amalgamation created tension in the local bureaucracy, as mergers might lead to job losses. Kaiser said a technical analysis revealed Duncan and North Cowichan actually would not save much money because they B次元官网网址渞an very leanB次元官网网址� as it was. The same number of citizens would still require services. While two municipal halls would not be required any more, for example, there would be costs to the transition. They were instead motivated by their shared sense of identity and how their viewed their community.
Helps asked how they got the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing to agree to fund a citizensB次元官网网址� assembly. Helps said Victoria requested a meeting on the issue and sent a letter a month ago with no response. Maguire said it was simply a different government with different priorities. The workload of the current NDP government likely factors into their response time.
North Saanich Councillor Murray Weisenburger said the municipal election, scheduled for Oct. 20, did not leave enough time to finish a citizensB次元官网网址� assembly, so he asked how long it would take to undertake the process. Maguire replied, B次元官网网址渁n entire term.B次元官网网址�
The group did not start until late 2015 and was now B次元官网网址渦nder the gun.B次元官网网址� They preferred a referendum in April 2018, apart from the October election, but now it seems the October election is the only remaining option as the current Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Selina Robinson, asked for more information from both municipalities before agreeing to put the question to the citizens. If that happens, both municipalities will elect separate councils in October. If citizens agree to amalgamate, a transition manager will be appointed who will be in charge of both municipalities, a joint budget, and another election where one amalgamated council will be chosen.
Part of this confusion for Maguire was that B次元官网网址渢here is no playbook. I donB次元官网网址檛 know whatB次元官网网址檚 next, and thatB次元官网网址檚 a problem.B次元官网网址� MaguireB次元官网网址檚 advice was to work in partnership with the province to ensure you know what to do next.
Weisenburger also felt there was little support for amalgamation among his council, saying B次元官网网址渨e havenB次元官网网址檛 felt any pressure to move ahead.B次元官网网址�
Both speakers acknowledged it was more complex in the CRD, but B次元官网网址渋n a very much smaller way, we had two municipalities that were potential amalgamating but we have a bunch of neighbourhoods. Defense of those neighbourhoods will likely very appear among your 13 municipalities.B次元官网网址�
In her closing remarks, Gudgeon said she attended the Peninsula mayorB次元官网网址檚 breakfast on Thursday (March 1) and based on their remarks, she felt the mayors considered the amalgamation issue settled with CISGI, but B次元官网网址渢he job isnB次元官网网址檛 done yet.B次元官网网址�
reporter@peninsulanewsreview.com
