Latest news with #PeterMacLeod
Yahoo
18-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
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. "That's much more complicated. That often includes the transfer of much more complicated risks," he told Caradonna.
Globe and Mail
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Globe and Mail
Canadians want to be able to defend Canada. Our government should provide a way
Alex Wilner is an associate professor and director of the Infrastructure Protection program at Carleton University, and a senior fellow at the Macdonald Laurier Institute. Canadians are supercharged. Voter turnout for the federal election was the highest in 30 years. The 'Buy Canada' movement is gaining momentum, and the great summer staycation of 2025 is under way. Today, surveys are showing that 90 per cent of Canadians agree our country has a cultural identity worth defending. With Canadian patriotism alive and kicking, it's the ideal moment for Canada's new government to redefine the meaning of national service. That's why Ottawa should convert our new-found patriotic energy into a national civil defence movement – one that's able, organized and trained to respond to emergencies. Civil defence is a whole-of-society endeavour. It entails individuals providing their communities with the energy and expertise needed to withstand a range of crises, alongside – and even in the absence of – government support. Canadians have been here before. As Peter MacLeod, Canada's leading voice on civic engagement, reminds us, our civil defence program trained civilians to respond to nuclear warfare during the Cold War. Volunteers co-ordinated fallout shelters, logistics, infrastructure protection, national stockpiles and emergency response, until the program ceased when global tensions eased in the 1980s. Today, crisis and conflict are back, and Canadians find themselves in an increasingly dangerous world. The U.S. is no longer a dependable ally. Authoritarianism is on the march. Global humanitarian institutions have been hollowed out. Climate change feeds state fragility. Zero-sum relations overshadow diplomacy. And armed aggression compromises geopolitical stability. Canada's European allies have gotten the message. Last year, Swedish authorities distributed a detailed brochure to every household, describing how citizens were expected to support themselves and their communities against armed aggression, terrorism, cyberwarfare, epidemics and extreme weather. 'From the year you turn 16 until the end of the year you turn 70,' the document reads, 'you are part of Sweden's total defence.' Norway's plan equips civil society with the means to address various crises while supporting its military. The plan requires something from everyone. Households are to stockpile provisions. Municipalities must establish emergency-preparedness committees to co-ordinate responders. Developers need to include shelters in new buildings. Companies are obliged to create industrial safety and cybersecurity systems. The Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation – the equivalent of our CBC – is responsible for emergency communication while the government builds the Norwegian Civil Defence force, funds training for voluntary organizations, strengthens border surveillance, improves counter-disinformation measures and achieves food self-sufficiency. Canada should follow suit. A new Canadian civil preparedness initiative could be led by Public Safety Canada and our Department of National Defence. It would co-ordinate a pan-Canadian, multisectoral approach to civil defence centred on training, preparedness and volunteerism. Canadian adults should receive free and accredited training in first aid, emergency preparedness and disaster response. Provinces could mandate that high school students receive the same training. Specialized instruction in self-defence, bushcraft, emergency communication, crisis leadership, cybersecurity and search-and-rescue could also be offered. Organizations like the YMCA, Red Cross and St. John's Ambulance would each have a role to play. All levels of government should pursue public outreach initiatives, providing information on preparedness via guidelines, checklists and mobile apps. National standards for households, businesses, and municipalities can help ensure Canadians know how to sustain themselves during emergencies. Canadians should be encouraged to volunteer their time and skills. A national opt-in registry could help mobilize trained local volunteers when needed. Similarly, the Canada Service Corps should be expanded, providing vastly more young Canadians with the opportunity to meet different needs across the country. This isn't the time for half measures or tepid pilot programs. A Canadian Civilian Defence Corps can be launched quickly with little new funding: National Defence already has the physical space and skilled trainers at armouries across the country. Volunteers might commit just one evening a month – a small sacrifice for our families' and communities' safety. In times of need, Canadians step up. Now our government should empower them to help protect the country they love.
