The Crown agency that oversees some of Victoria’s best-known properties moved a step closer to extinction Monday.
Following through on its announcement last November, the B.C. government introduced legislation to kill the Provincial Capital Commission later this year.
Community, Sport and Cultural Development Minister Coralee Oakes said the move will eliminate duplication and save taxpayers about $1.5 million annually.
“The commission has done a great job connecting British Columbians to their capital through strong outreach programs and property-management services,” she told the legislature. “However, over the years governments have evolved to the point where these services can now be provided directly within government.”
The move stems from a core review of services designed to save the province $100 million over two years.
The capital commission was created 50 years ago and had responsibilities for such high-profile properties as St. Ann’s Academy, Crystal Garden, the CPR Steamship Terminal and most of Victoria’s Inner Harbour lands, including Ship Point and the Belleville ferry terminal.
Oakes said the existing properties, assets, liabilities and staff will transfer to other ministries except for the Belleville Ferry Terminal properties, which will shift to the B.C. Transportation Financing Authority. She said the transfer will open up new “opportunities” for the aging terminal.
She also said government will continue the commission’s cultural and education programs such as the B.C. Youth Parliament and Capital for Kids.
NDP house leader John Horgan criticized the government for failing to consult with local politicians about the move.
“There is no representative in the government south of Parksville, so they’ve just made a decision to shut down a commission that was put in place — not by the NDP, but the Socreds a long, long time ago — to protect and preserve what belongs to all British Columbians,” he said. “I’m not convinced they’ve given this the hard look they need; they certainly didn’t ask me about it.”
He also worries the move could lead to government selling off valuable properties that would be best left in public hands. “It’s short-sighted,” he said. “It says that, ‘Well, it’s just an administrative function.’ It’s not. This is the jewel of our parliamentary system here at the precinct and right around the capital.”
The government has about 110 acres of former commission land for sale in Langford to help balance the provincial budget. Much of the land is on the south side of Skirt Mountain and next to the Trans-Canada Highway. If all 20 properties sold for the current asking prices, the parcels would bring in $3.71 million.
— with a file from Carla Wilson
