The Victoria-Saanich citizens’ assembly getting into first gear

It’s been some time since the question of a regional municipal amalgamation was seriously raised in these parts. But get ready for more talk about amalgamation.

In 2018, voters in Victoria and Saanich agreed, by referendum, to explore amalgamation and share with the province the $750K price tag that comes along with the formation of a citizens’ assembly to inform and guide decision-makers.

Despite a change of the municipal guard in 2018, the current mayors of Saanich and Victoria have acknowledged the commitment made to voters and have agreed to pursue the project. Consequently, both councils put up $250K for a competitive tender process and have hired Toronto firm Mass LBP to carry out the project through the creation and implementation of the Victoria-Saanich Citizens Assembly (VSCA). The province is taking care of the remainder of that cost.

MASS LBP says it promotes public engagement and deliberative democracy, a process through which the broadest range of people possible is given the opportunity “to exercise public judgment and act as stewards of the greater common good.”

What's MASS LBP all about?

“We're a democracy organization that works across Canada on citizens' assemblies because we believe that our democratic culture will be stronger if we find ways to bring more people to the table to think about matters of public concern, said MASS LBP principal Peter MacLeod. He and colleagues Richard Johnson (Victoria) Chris Ellis (Calgary) and Sara Yaffe (Toronto) will lead the design and execution of the CA as well as its curriculum development and communications efforts.

James Anderson, a long-time supporter of municipal amalgamation in the CRD and one of the founders of the grassroots citizens organization Amalgamation Yes, approves of the choice. "They're a group that knows what they're doing," he says.

They conducted three Canadian Citizens’ Assemblies on Democratic Expression, involving more than 90 Canadians who examined how the Government of Canada should regulate digital service providers to create a safe environment where Canadians can express themselves and be protected from a range of harms.

The VSCA will provide both councils with consensus recommendations on the proposed amalgamation. It held its first public information session on Feb 1.

What the VSCA actually will do

The stated aim of the VSCA is “to learn about the costs, benefits, and disadvantages of an amalgamation between the District of Saanich and the City of Victoria, including shared and contrasting values, concerns and needs of residents of Saanich and Victoria regarding neighbourhoods, change, growth, service delivery, governance, capital and infrastructure needs, land-use planning, emergency services, and strategic and regulatory frameworks.”

At the initial meeting, MacLeod provided upcoming significant project markers and their anticipated timelines and explained that VSCA will form an advisory and oversight committee to bring local perspective and expertise to its deliberative process. By engaging a third party in this way MacLeod hopes to safeguard the independence, transparency, and integrity of the process, he said.

Advisory and oversight committee

MacLeod also announced plans to appoint an advisory and oversight committee of six members total, two of whom must be residents of Saanich, two from Victoria, and the remainder two who will reside in neither. “Their job is to bring local perspective but also expertise in good deliberative processes, expertise in urban affairs and municipal governance, expertise in the realities lived by residents in both communities,” said MacLeod.

In terms of selection to the volunteer Citizens Assembly (CA), a resident must respond positively to one of the invitation letters that will be sent on Apr. 3 to 10K homes selected randomly by Canada Post. “On May 22, the 48 members of the citizens assembly will be randomly selected from those who received a letter and chose to volunteer. The process is called a civic lottery,” said MacLeod.

Certainly not a done deal, says MacLeod

Despite the VSCA’s fastidious intentions and deliberative processes, Anderson isn’t pinning a surefire amalgamation decision outcome on the CA alone.

“Remember,” he said “the recommendations go to the province as well as the councils but also, if you know, there are some alternatives to a merger. The province might step in, just like they have sort of stepped in on housing policy and said to municipalities, if you people can't get your act together, we're gonna tell you how to do it.” Anderson raised the forced resolution of the water treatment plant debacle as another example of the province’s intervention. “They only took on sewage treatment because the province made them take it on.

In this case, 66% of voters in Victoria and 56% in Saanich voted to explore amalgamation. In 2018, said Anderson, some of the mayors were just too busy protecting their fiefdoms and they weren’t actually listening to the people.”

The mayors of Saanich and Victoria are certainly listening now.