The lobby group Amalgamation Yes will live to fight another day.
Voters in the City of Victoria and Saanich have voted in favour of establishing a citizens’ assembly to study the amalgamation of Victoria and Saanich, the region’s two largest municipalities by population.
“This is galvanizing and satisfying because we always advocated for the citizens to have their say,” said Amalgamation Yes chairwoman Shellie Gudgeon.
“Now we have to hold the elected officials’ feet to the fire.”
In Saanich, 16,852 voted in favour of studying amalgamation, while 13,274 were against it. In Victoria, the Yes side won 16,847 votes, while the No had 8,502.
Gudgeon, who had suggested her lobby group could dissolve if the results had gone the other way, said the voters have spoken and that has steeled her organization’s resolve to push the councils of Victoria and Saanich to act.
“We will be watching to ensure it becomes a priority for both councils and not put to the bottom of the list, as it was in Victoria in the last term,” said Gudgeon. “If it isn’t, we will do what we have done over the last seven years.”
That would mean drawing the media’s attention to inaction, and keeping the discussion around amalgamation top of mind.
“[The result] is a strong message to the elected officials on council to move forward immediately,” she said.
The hope heading into the referendum was if those two municipalities were willing to look at amalgamation, it might encourage other municipalities to follow.
Gudgeon was optimistic ahead of Saturday night’s decision, noting the apparent high voter turnout in Victoria was a good sign for democracy and for the amalgamation question.
“This huge turnout is great — we have always advocated to give the citizens a say. Whether it’s yes or no, with a big turnout like this the citizens [will have] had their say,” she said a few hours before the polls closed.
The question voters had to consider was: “Are you in favour of spending up to $250,000 for establishing a Citizens’ Assembly to explore the costs, benefits and disadvantages of the amalgamation between the District of Saanich and the City of Victoria?”
Gudgeon had said the question is “the closest we’ve ever been to looking at how we govern ourselves in the capital region.”
In the 2014 municipal election, eight of 13 capital region municipalities put some sort of question about amalgamation on the ballot.
Victoria residents voted 80 per cent in favour when asked: “Are you in favour of reducing the number of municipalities in Greater Victoria through amalgamation?”
At the same time, Saanich residents voted 88.5 per cent in favour when asked: “Do you support council initiating a community-based review of governance structures and policies with Saanich and our partnerships within the region?”
Saanich followed up by establishing a citizen advisory committee, which made several recommendations, including calling on the province to fund a citizens’ assembly on amalgamation with interested municipalities holding a referendum on the possibility.
Victoria also passed a resolution asking the province to establish and fund a citizens’ assembly to investigate amalgamation with willing municipalities.
