A Saanich councillor has floated the idea of holding a referendum this October on whether Saanich should pursue amalgamation talk as the public heard from both supporters and critics.
Coun. Colin Plant raised this possibility Monday night less than two days before Saanich Mayor Richard Atwell and Victoria Mayor Lisa Help were preparing to meet with a senior provincial official to discuss the process around creating a citizens’ assembly on amalgamation with interested municipalities. The meeting emerged out of a letter that Atwell and Helps had sent to Selina Robinson, minister of municipal affairs and housing.
“Do we feel, that if the minister has a satisfactory meeting with Mr. Mayor and Ms. Helps from the City of Victoria, that we have the license from our population to do this?” said Plant. “We did ask a question [during the last municipal election], which some people have interpreted in a variety of ways. However, we also did have our [governance review citizen advisory committee] suggest this very language.” Plant, however, questioned whether the committee was able to attract a broad audience on many topics, including amalgamation.
“I’m not so sure that we have the license,” he said. “So I’m curious what my colleagues think is the right step such as — and I’m not putting this as a motion, but just the idea — is this something that should be on a referendum [ballot] in the fall or do we have the license to do it?”
While any move towards amalgamation would trigger a referendum in any case — four years from now if the Duncan-North Cowichan process is any guide — Plant said he is struggling with the issue, acknowledging council’s unanimous support for the current process.
Coun. Karen Harper, who actively served on the board of Amalgamation Yes before winning election, questioned the idea of testing public support for future talks around amalgamation.
“It’s premature for us to answer some of the questions that you have raised, Coun. Plant,” she said in describing the up-coming meeting as a “promising first step” that will yield some useful information. Saanich should not be having “any referendum on anything” because it is just taking “baby-steps” in collecting information. “And information is what is key here,” she said.