Why I Still Support Amalgamation
Only 1 day left until the municipal elections. Apart from choosing our candidates for mayor and council, there will once again be a non-binding referendum question on amalgamation. Back in 2022 I wrote an article about the way I see amalgamation being most beneficial. Why I support just a little bit of amalgamation. In that article, my favoured outcome was for a partial amalgamation of Victoria, Saanich, Esquimalt and Oak Bay. I recognized that the rural part of Saanich would be best connected to Central Saanich rather than part of an amalgamated Victoria. Since that time a lot has happened. We had the Citizen Assembly start and finish their work. Saanich and Victoria listened to the Citizens Assembly and have put amalgamation on the ballot for this election. Despite that though, it is not a binding question; the provincial government has said that they would prefer to have to see the outcome before considering the cost of it.
It is important to consider that we have been talking about amalgamation in Victoria for decades. That we got to the point of having a Citizens Assembly is important. Even more so that in the end they overwhelmingly supported amalgamation. The official report is still available from the website here. The report look at nine key topic areas including:
Indigenous Government to Municipal Government Relationships
Climate Change Planning, Resilience and Environmental Considerations
Municipal Planning
Service Levels and Delivery
Police and Fire Services
Housing Affordability
Agricultural and Rural Lands Protection
Future Governance and Representation
Conducting the Referendum
As you can see in the report, the Assembly was positive about the benefits of amalgamation in reference to all of these areas. This is important because many of the areas that are raised as concerns are addressed here. I don’t think that the Citizens Assembly got the attention and discussion it deserved at the time. This is in part because there is still significant political interest in maintaining the current structures.
Two of the areas that I continue to hear concern about is the impact of allowing a more suburban area into the city due to the impacts it will have on the outcomes of future elections. The other concern I still hear is that it will not result in cost savings. As I said in my previous article, the purpose of amalgamation should be on better governance and benefits for citizens. Though even in the final report, the Assembly indicated that there could some small savings over time.
As to the issues of a Toronto style takeover of our political discourse, I honestly believe that the basis for this concern comes from recent Ontario immigrants. There are very clear differences in size and scope between Saanich and the likes of Scarborough and Etobicoke. There is really no difference between the suburban neighbourhoods of Victoria and the neighbouring ones in Saanich. A lot of times you would be hard pressed to know you were in a different municipality if it were not for the different coloured street signs. The politics align for the most part as well, with both Saanich and Victoria electing generally, left-leaning councils and MLA’s, which counters the narrative of the Toronto example.
On the other side, there is so much to gain from the joining of Victoria and Saanich. One of the key challenges we face in the region is housing. An amalgamated city, allows for cohesive planning across the two areas. This does not mean building in Rural Saanich. This area is already protected, as it should be, under the Agricultural Land Reserve. It also doesn’t mean changing the nature of current neighbourhoods. It does allow for creating appropriate housing nodes around key areas that are currently on the borders like Mayfair Mall and Hillside Mall. It further creates a more cohesive bylaw and tax system for homeowners, shopkeepers, and builders. You will be able to have a business or multiple businesses within the new city borders and only have to deal with one city hall.
On a national scale, neither Victoria or Saanich meet the population threshold to sit at the Big City Mayors Caucus. This group lobbies the federal government for support and is quite effective. Through amalgamation, Victoria would easily be able to sit at this table and participate appropriately. This means that we will likely be the recipient of a greater amount of federal funding to support infrastructure and programming.
Ultimately we will see if the citizens of Victoria and Saanich agree with the assembly and we can move forward with this small piece or if we will spend the next few decades just talking about amalgamation.
It is too bad that such a big decision is getting so little attention during the election. I was able to vote early and supported amalgamation on the ballot. If you have any questions or reservations about it, let me know in the comments.