Saanich Mayor Frank Leonard is proposing his municipality dip its toe 鈥� ever so cautiously 鈥� into the issue of amalgamation, but that step, tentative though it may be, will help advance the discussion on this complex issue.
The grassroots organization Amalgamation Yes has been pushing municipalities to ask their residents, through a non-binding referendum question, if they favour the concept of reducing the number of municipalities in the capital region through amalgamation.
If Leonard鈥檚 proposal gets council approval, Saanich will join Victoria, Sidney, Oak Bay, Central Saanich and Langford in agreeing to place an amalgamation-related question on the ballot for the Nov. 15 municipal elections. (Colwood had previously agreed to put a question on but changed its position.)
However, Leonard鈥檚 question avoids the use of the A-word: 鈥淒o you support council initiating a community-based review of the governance structure and policies within Saanich and our partnerships within the region?鈥�
And therein lies the problem of several different municipalities asking several different questions 鈥� you will get several different answers, rather than a definitive understanding of what residents think about amalgamation. It would be simpler if all voters in the region could respond to the same straightforward question.
Saanich鈥檚 question, for example, is open to various interpretations, ranging from considering outright amalgamation to reviewing current co-operative efforts with other municipalities. However it is interpreted, it will start discussions and could lead to useful analysis, whatever the outcome.
Oak Bay鈥檚 ballot question, on the other hand, is blunt: 鈥淎re you in favour of the District of Oak Bay being amalgamated into a larger regional municipality? Yes or no.鈥� Instead of starting a conversation, it would basically end the discussion for Oak Bay, if a majority of its residents vote no.
Still, it will produce useful information.
Central Saanich鈥檚 question will give voters something substantial to chew on, asking if they believe the district should petition the province to fund a cost/benefit analysis of an amalgamation of Central Saanich, North Saanich and Sidney.
While a simple question would be desirable, that is not to imply the issue is simple. Far from it.
There鈥檚 no doubt that it鈥檚 cumbersome to have 13 different municipalities, 91 mayors and councillors and multiple police and fire departments for a population of less than 400,000. There鈥檚 no doubt that some services are better delivered regionally than piecemeal. There鈥檚 no doubt that some cross-boundary issues would be resolved if the boundaries were eliminated.
But amalgamation wouldn鈥檛 automatically make everything right. Done wrong, it could make things worse.
And that鈥檚 what the referendum question is about: starting the conversation, initiating the analysis. If enough people vote in favour of looking further into amalgamation, that could trigger a study by the provincial government.
There won鈥檛 be any shotgun weddings. The province cannot impose amalgamation 鈥� sa国际传媒鈥檚 Local Government Act requires the consent, through a binding referendum, of more than 50 per cent of the voters in each affected municipality before amalgamation can take place. And voters would have to be informed of the merits and pitfalls of amalgamation, determined through detailed and expert analysis, before such a referendum is launched.
So far, seven municipalities have agreed to put an amalgamation question on the ballot in November. It would be better if voters in all 13 municipalities had the opportunity to weigh in on the issue, especially if all were asked the same question.
But at least the conversation is moving ahead.
