Should municipalities in Greater Victoria merge? Voters generally think so. In a recent survey across the region, 67 per cent said service quality would be improved by some form of amalgamation. We argued in last Sunday鈥檚 editorial that it should be reasonably straightforward to consolidate emergency services, and various administrative functions.
However, when it comes to a full-scale political amalgamation, the situation is more complex. Voters certainly believe we have too many mayors and councillors.
Yet they also want to protect the unique features of local neighbourhoods. But which specific features are we talking about?
The capital region is home to a profusion of tax levels, zoning schemes, population densities, growth rates and so on. Amalgamating municipalities with opposite views on such matters is no easy task.
Suppose a district with high property taxes is merged with a lower-tax neighbour. Are the taxes levelled up, or down?
Or what if one municipality wants to attract more business, while the folks next door are trying to preserve their rural lifestyle? Whose writ runs?
The answer might seem obvious: Put it to a vote. But two major obstacles stand in the way.
First, that could result in a 鈥渢yranny of the majority,鈥� with the larger municipalities swallowing up the little ones.
Between them, Saanich and the city of Victoria have 57 per cent of the region鈥檚 population. If all-out amalgamation is on the table, those two could drive it through, regardless of views elsewhere.
Even if a more limited merger were contemplated, the same difficulty might arise.
What happens, for example, if Saanich wants to amalgamate with the three municipalities to the north? While geographically that makes sense, it might not appeal to the residents of the Keating area, Brentwood Bay and Sidney. Yet by force of numbers, voters in Saanich could override that opposition. This is not merely a hypothetical outcome.
All 28 municipalities on the Island of Montreal were amalgamated in 2002. But many of the smaller districts felt strong-armed by a numerical majority. Four years later, the merger was reversed.
However, there is a far larger impediment to overcome. Section 279 of sa国际传媒鈥檚 Community Charter legislation prohibits any local-government merger unless 50 per cent of the votes in each municipality are in favour.
In other words, dissenters may opt out. But in that event, we could inherit a mish-mash of boundaries with no logic or cohesion. Yet something of the sort might very well happen.
There was a referendum on amalgamation in last November鈥檚 local government election. Among the region鈥檚 13 municipalities, Oak Bay said no, while Sooke, Metchosin, Colwood, View Royal and Highlands declined to canvass their voters.
That scarcely looks promising.
Moreover, the provincial government has made clear it will not impose a merger by force. That means however this problem is solved, it will have to be done co-operatively.
One solution might be to hold public meetings across the region, perhaps backed by opinion surveys. Several mayors have stressed the need for public consultation. Social media, along with more traditional forums, might play a part.
And even if a full-scale political amalgamation is unlikely, there may still be room for movement. The Community Charter permits municipalities to share services.
That should allow for a merger of the region鈥檚 police and fire departments, along with some trimming of red tape and bureaucracy.
However, before anyone puts pen to paper, the community must be heard from.
For let鈥檚 be clear: This decision goes to the heart of every neighbourhood. It will affect our civic life for decades to come.
Such a fundamental matter cannot be driven by consultants, interest groups or politicians. We must arrive at our conclusion together. And we must do so, if humanly possible, by consensus.
