Victoria, Saanich to work on amalgation question for next municipal election
The municipalities of Victoria and Saanich have taken steps towards amalgamation this week, with councillors in the capital city directing staff to work with Saanich staff to put together a short question that would be added to the ballot in the October 2026 local elections.
The motion at Victoria city council Thursday morning, which included receiving the report from a citizens' assembly that recommended amalgamation after eight months of deliberation, passed unanimously after more than two hours of discussion.
Earlier this week, councillors with the District of Saanich also discussed the report at length, with several of them expressing their support.
Peter MacLeod, chair of the assembly on behalf of Toronto-based consultancy MASS SBP, said the members of the group were happy with the results.
"I think the members are delighted," MacLeod told CBC News shortly after the meeting.
"[They] were very pleased and gratified that both councils took their recommendations seriously."
Saanich and Victoria are the two most populous municipalities on southern Vancouver Island, with populations of 117,735 and 91,867, respectively, according to 2021 census numbers from Statistics Canada.
While they share some regional services, they are governed separately, with separate mayors and councils, separate police forces, and more.
Years in the making
If citizens vote in favour of amalgamation during the next local elections, MacLeod says it would still take at least four years for the process to be complete.
The question of amalgamation in Greater Victoria has been years in the making.
In 2014, seven of the 13 Capital Regional District municipalities said they wanted a study looking into amalgamation.
In a non-binding referendum in 2018, residents approved each municipality spending up to $250,000 to study whether they would benefit from joining forces.
The process was delayed by the pandemic but finally began last year.
The Victoria-Saanich Citizens' Assembly, made up of 48 randomly selected residents from the two municipalities, released its recommendations in April.
Criticism
The discussion in Victoria Thursday morning did include criticism of the report and questions for assembly members.
Coun. Jeremy Caradonna wondered why a financial analysis and risk assessment were not included as part of the process, or estimates of possible staff layoffs.
At the meeting, MacLeod says the assembly recognized a "high degree of compatibility" between the two jurisdictions, including their populations and needs.
Amalgamation discussions in other jurisdictions that MacLeod said he had taken part in often included a larger municipality absorbing a much smaller one, or several municipalities coming together — neither of which would be the case here.
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