additional amalgamation notes

8/3/2019 Additional Amalgamation Notes

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TableA:WhatWeDontKnow:-What is it going to look like?-What are the unknowns?-What would it cost to run each municipality so then what wouldit cost to amalgamate regions?-What would be the cost savings?-What things are missing so we know how we benefit?-What are the gaps and holes between municipalities?-What are the functions and what is being spent?-What are the expectations filled by the economy of scale?

-What are the basics? e.g. What are the personal interests?-How can you make an informed decision without adequateinformation?-What are the overlaps?-Do we have real evidence that supports amalgamation?-What does it cost to run a similar size city? (e.g. Windsor;London,Ontario). Police/fire/functions of gov.-How can we learn from the experiences from otheramalgamated cities? Ottawa, Toronto, Montreal. What are some

options?-What values do people have in their heads when they form anopinion either for or against amalgamation?-Can we qualify for more federal dollars?-What is the legal process to accomplish any form ofamalgamation?

What values does each member of the table have from wherethey live?

1) Saanich- police department- likes the contact with people(community sense); access to services and politicians.

2) Oak Bay- human relationships; human scale contact, dontsee the common benefits to everyone.


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3) North Saanich- recreation, police presence, small communitycontract, size of community, iter community cooperation

4) Victoria- value and appreciate sense of community; lackingshared interest in future e.g. rapid transit, cooperation reductionof waste and redundancy.

5) Oak Bay- new from Kelowna value local level of serviceensuring that doesnt get out of touch due to size.

6)Saanich- values focussed goal for entire region and worktowards common benefit; lack of unified vision; value smallneighbourhoods;

7) Victoria- values; direct access to politicians; need controlledgrowth strategy; go green, work together e.g. homelessness

8) Esquimalt- values safety and security of community spirit andinvolvement; enjoys being able to talk to politician

Real costs and benefits that needs to be paid attention to. needto know what grant structure is between the feds and province

Where does the perceived need for change come from? Howcan we deal with larger issuessuch as regional transportation?

Table B

-Why cant we integrate?-Why no political will?-Why political muni[cipalitie]s not interested?-Why such disparity in CRD? #/pop-$ for public = some for V.Island-Why doesnt CREST work?-Why are politicians not accountable?-Why is not an election issue?-Who would benefit?= lower taxes


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=easier better services

Table C

What could we share?

1. Not; zoning (well, maybe): personal information2.Everything; IT systems, payroll, contracting, HR, snowclearing, policing, fire, deer culling/wild animal control3. Zoning bylaws

Table D

Yes:Recreational Facilities- no no issues with bringing under CRDcontrol.Tourism/Chamber Commerce; greater benefit derived fromcooperation, already follow Greater Victoria Chamber ofCommerce. Same with Tourism Vic.

No:Airports- coop w/ Fed Gov, no buy in from First Nations until theirneeds all all met.

Table E

What dont we know?

-person #1- Land surveyor- Oak Bay and Victoria- ProAmalgamation-person #2- Came to learn- needs more info to vote-person #3- Accidental guest- Victoria Center needs more-person #4- Langford from Toronto- In favour of amalgamationHistory and Efficiency-person #5- Langford from Calgary- pro amalgamation

-person #6 and person #7- 35 years in Kamloops then Victoria;efficiency and quality has been proven by history over time, mostof the jealousies are worked out, may create a better community.-person #7-Chamber of Commerce, Harbour Air, Victoria, Sooke,East Saanich;-There are significant business challenges to amalgamate.


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-Water Districts took six years to clean up bureaucratic messes

Identity is not lost because of amalgamation comes from thecommunity not governance.

Gov Services;

-The decision needs to be made whether to conduct business atwhat level.Grand Scale= CRDLarge Scale= District/Westshore/Sidney PeninsulaSmall Scale= by municipality

-We need to know what areas of commonality there are, whats

being duplicated and whats not being done.

-What can be centralized.

-What are the hidden costs to the various players (Fed Gov, ProvGov, First Nations, 13 Municipalities, CRD)

-CRD should be Sooke to Sidney

-What do we want Victoria to look like in 50 years? planned bydevelopers or managed growth by an urban planning group? Isthere a limit to growth?

-Are we willing to have a ballot that states: Are you in favour ofhaving an amalgamated Victoria?

-How will a Greater Victoria area deal with communityassociations and their agendas?

-Would an amalgamated movement be willing to compromise onpreserving local conditions (tax rates, zoning etc.) in order toboost amalgamation?

-Whats going to change?

-How are we going to ensure that everybody gets


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representation?

Question 2)

a)What could we share?b) What common approaches can we take?

yes- police- can be done without changes to municipal act, onlyto the police act. Easy Test?yes- fireyes- Emergency Services- under a provincial agencyyes- CRD Parks- no issues under regional systemyes- Public Transportation LRT? roadbed laid, Road beds

no- Sewers expensive and no infrastructure, no sewagetreatment plantyes- Waste Management -same landfill -hartlandyes- Education quasi provincial, CRD boards public andseparate and privateyes- Municipal Governance governed without the smallermunicipal model biasesyes- Administrative Servicesyes- Urban Planning-Could see a greater vision and longer

team planning ability. what will Victoria look like in 50 years?

TableFWhat dont we know?

-what is lip service and what is real action?-what should and should not be done?-what are the problems we are trying to solve?

-what economic efficiencies are there/-what is the cost?

What could we share?-IT-Planning


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TableGWhat dont we know?

-what components will be amalgamated? What services?

What could be shared?

-Police, fire etc.

-consolidate long range planning. roads. infrastructure

TableHWhat dont we know?

-We dont know the details of the complexities of interactionbetween players (municipalities).

-we dont know what is getting done

-we dont know what is not getting done

-we dont know what the consensus is

-we dont know what problems we are trying to solve

-we dont know what efficiencies/inefficiencies exist today

-we dont know if we really are broken

- we dont know who determines the balance betweenstakeholders

-we dont know why the growth plans strategies dont fit together

-we dont know what works and what doesnt


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TableIwith amalgamation;

-Savings will be automatic, if the culture of it is less.

-Saanich enjoys low taxes and has the entitlements of thescitizens using the services of Victoria i.e. shopping, restaurants,policing and they dont pay for it.

-we all have our personal, vested interests but are they fair and

reasonable?-we have to talk together and look at the big picture.

-13 municipalities/mayors and multiple councillors 13 firechiefs/services is ridiculouswhat could we share or common approaches could we take?

-share infrastructure costs

-we are like 13 tribes, we have tribal thinking

TableJWhat Dont We Know?

-what would new model look like?

-why the mayors are opposed?

-dont have hard data

-cost of transition

-dont know id amalgamation would work


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-dont know the issues of amalgamation

-dont know what best of Ottawa, Calgary, Winnipeg

-dont know about Abbotsford, Matsqui

-What model works?

-dont know who is doing what well.

-What are advantages of current system?

-82% in favor

-why councillor has switched-what municipalities do business prefer to working

-what munis do people prefer to live in?

-Ontario was forced amalgamation

-dont know best practices

-if different politics of municipalities would work

dont know what shared services could help us

-dont know top five reasons why not

-dont know the governance of the CRD or municipalities

-we dont know what we would lose in terms of territory- whos inand whos out.

-we dont know which amalgamations have been successful orwhich parts of other Canadians have been successful and notsuccessful

-will BC Government fund a study to answer questions?


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Shared Approaches;

-transportation, garbage collection

-share planning department

-share best practices

-share list of services

-share public works, planning tools, parks and rec, taxationcollection, finance and admin

Rural toolkits/urban toolkitsunion involvement

look at options for wardslook at what others are doinghow did they get to more sharing

use social media to get more people in the conversation.


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additional amalgamation notes

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