Could the City of Victoria and District of Saanich one day be one municipality?
That possibility came one step closer on Wednesday when Saanich approved joint terms of reference for a citizens’ assembly exploring the idea of a merger.
Victoria’s council green-lit the terms last month.
The terms, which took a year to develop, lay out the mandate and governance structure for an eventual assembly composed of 75 randomly selected citizens.
That group will be charged with making a non-binding recommendation to the two municipalities, which could range from deals to find efficiencies or mutual agreements to full-on amalgamation into one city.
![Click to play video: 'Doug Ford discusses possible amalgamation in Niagara'](https://i0.wp.com/media.globalnews.ca/videostatic/225/559/2019-03-13T15-50-44.634Z--1280x720.jpg?w=1040&quality=70&strip=all)
“As the elected leaders of Saanich, the job of Mayor and Council is to look after the best interests of our community and our residents,” said Saanich Mayor Fred Haynes in a media release.
![Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.](https://globalnews.ca/wp-content/themes/shaw-globalnews/images/skyline/national.jpg)
Get daily National news
“A decision of this magnitude must be well-considered and not rushed.”
The two municipalities are now asking the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing to fund one third of the $750,000 budget for the citizens’ assembly. Victoria and Saanich would divide the remaining cost between themselves.
The ministry must also review and approve the terms of reference, a process with no timeline.
Saanich and Victoria are the largest two of 13 municipalities in the capital region, an area with a population just under 400,000 people.
Both Victoria (66 per cent) and Saanich (56 per cent) voted to initiate the assembly process in the 2018 municipal election.
- 12 kids treated for window, balcony falls at BC Children’s Hospital already this year
- B.C. kept on cutting edge of the legal landscape around drug use
- Fraser Valley business owners say extortion calls continue, despite RCMP task force
- Overdose death comes day after Victoria changes first responder safety policy
Comments