Only Victoria and Colwood have so far agreed to let voters express their views on amalgamation by answering a simple question on the ballot papers in the municipal elections later this year. Other councils seem reluctant to consult the public on this issue, presumably because they are happy with the way things are.
Why then are the proponents of amalgamation, such as the society Amalgamation Yes, asking all municipalities to follow the lead set by Victoria and Colwood?
They are concerned not only with the perceived reduction of costs, simplifying the bureaucracy for doing business in the region, and the need for a regional police force, but also with the fact that a unified community speaks as one voice when competing with other cities, rather than squabbling internally.
Other smaller cities, for example, have spacious centres for the performing arts. No local municipality alone can afford such a building, but neighbouring councils are loath to contribute anything to facilities built within the artificial boundaries of their “rivals.” In a unified city, an art gallery that befits the outstanding collection currently housed in the cramped quarters on Moss Street would have been built by now; the Blue Bridge replacement would not have been a burden on Victoria taxpayers alone; the cut-price Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre could have been larger and more lavishly appointed for the major touring shows and sports events that attract crowds from the entire region.
Cities such as St. John’s, Halifax, Windsor, Saskatoon and Regina, are represented on the Big City Mayors’ Caucus, which meets to discuss and lobby the federal government on such issues as housing, homelessness and infrastructure renewal, all of vital concern here. Yet we have no voice at this table because Victoria is regarded as a city of only 80,000, rather than a metropolitan region of almost 350,000.
By contrast, Regina, with no surrounding municipalities feeding on its core amenities and a population only half that of Greater Victoria, is considered a “big city.” Amalgamation would correct this illogical situation in a stroke.
Opponents of amalgamation will claim that a multitude of municipalities preserves their identities and offers better opportunities for local involvement. Within Victoria itself, however, there are several neighbourhoods with their own unique ambience — James Bay, Fernwood, Cook Street village, Rockland — all having input to city council through their neighbourhood associations. There is no reason why Esquimalt, Oak Bay and View Royal would not continue to flourish in a similar manner after amalgamation.
Moreover, what is the alleged advantage in the present structure if it also encourages a disregard of regional co-operation in planning and transport? Langford is commendably preserving its rail access for future commuter transportation, but Victoria is severing its rail link to downtown. Conversely, Langford decided unilaterally to develop a huge box-store complex, but its impact on the infamous “Colwood crawl” was neglected.
Other opponents will point to the alleged failure of amalgamation in Toronto, even though it was already much bigger than the whole of our capital region before its amalgamation with adjacent suburbs. The comparison with Toronto is meaningless and talk of Victoria becoming a mega-city is absurd.
The real question is: What sort of tax base does a city need to provide essential infrastructure as well as the cultural, educational, recreational and sporting amenities that make for a desirable lifestyle, while still retaining community involvement in its administration? Many believe a population between 250,000 and 500,000 is just about perfect.
Greater Victoria has reached that ideal size, but our administrative structure fosters a mentality of competing smaller communities, each concerned with its own parochial aims while losing sight of the bigger picture. In such a scenario, Victoria itself will suffer. Its homeowners are not the wealthiest in the region and its business tax base is continually eroded by developments in neighbouring municipalities, such as Uptown in Saanich and big-box stores in Langford. It cannot continue indefinitely to be the cultural, commercial and entertainment hub that a future mid-size city of 400,000 deserves without some changes to the way the region is organized and taxes distributed.
The numbers of elected councillors and mayors in the “big cities” of western Canada compared with Greater Victoria are, with populations in parentheses: Winnipeg (730,000) 16; Regina (193,000) 11; Saskatoon (246,000) 11; Edmonton (820,000) 12; Calgary (1.1 million) 15; Vancouver (604,000) 11; Surrey (502,000) 9; Greater Victoria (345,000) 91.
Obviously, something is seriously amiss in this region unless, of course, all the other cities have got local governance completely wrong.
Is it not reasonable, therefore, to ask municipal voters whether or not they accept the present plethora of municipalities as the best way to administer a geographically and economically cohesive region of 350,000?
John Weaver is professor emeritus at the University of Victoria.
