More than 80 per cent of respondents to a survey commissioned by the City of Victoria said they are dissatisfied with the municipality’s governance.
The results of the MNP LLP survey, which polled 811 residents from 13 neighbourhoods, were published this month and will be presented to councillors on Thursday.
It found 68 per cent of respondents “disagreed” or “strongly disagreed” that Victoria’s council makes decisions based on what it believes to be the best interests of the city. Another 73 per cent of those polled said they didn’t believe public input is considered by the council in its decision-making process.
In a Thursday interview, Victoria Mayor Lisa Helps said she takes the survey’s findings — months in the making — with a “grain of salt,” but noted there is always “room for improvement.”
“It’s a self-selected survey of a few people who wanted to give feedback, and we appreciate their feedback, but I would say the folks that stop me on the street think that we’re doing a pretty good job,” she said.
“If there were a statistical poll that were done that said 81 per cent of Victorians feel that the city’s governance is no good, I’d be very concerned, but these are people who wanted to take the survey, and we’re very glad they did that and we put some weight on that.”
Between April and May, the City of Victoria launched the public survey, solicited written submissions, and held an in-person public session, a virtual public event, and four stakeholder focus groups.
“Good governance and civic engagement” was an initiative of the city’s 2019 to 2022 strategic plan, which included conducting a governance review.
“It’s an independent review of the way we conduct business,” said Helps. “We’re basically shining a spotlight on ourselves and saying, ‘Show us all our warts.’
“Yeah, I guess government doesn’t like to do that, but it’s important if we’re going to be a good government that we find out what we’re doing well and what we can do better.”
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The survey concluded with some 30 recommendations, including streamlining council agenda materials to make them more user-friendly, allowing pre-recorded video submissions for public hearings and other council matters, and updating the technology at council meetings.
MNP LLP also recommended the city establish a policy to reimburse the expenses for public members of council committees, establish a code of conduct, and appoint an integrity commissioner, and adjust councillor pay to be in line with comparable municipalities.
“I think there were some really good recommendations that we don’t need to have committee of the whole and council,” said Helps. “I was inspired by Kelowna — they just have council meetings. That’s a good place to have discussions and make decisions.
“I think we touch things too many times and it takes a long time and creates sometimes unnecessary churn in the community about things that I think people think are good to go forward.”
The survey also highlighted some things the City of Victoria did well; it found that 56 per cent of respondents knew how to communicate with the council about issues of concern, and 70 per cent of those who had participated in the council’s decision-making progress thought they were treated respectfully.
MNP LLP also identified city practices that were in line with or leading against other municipalities that were reviewed, including Victoria’s predictable meeting schedule, deliberate efforts to include diverse communities, and commitment to reconciliation.
Bruce Williams, CEO of the Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce, said he wasn’t “surprised” by the survey’s findings — positive or negative — and he thought it was a useful exercise that other municipalities could replicate.
“At any given time, people are dissatisfied with what elected officials are doing,” he explained. “Getting some sort of snapshot of what the public thinks of the work they’re doing is not a bad idea.”
He criticized the amount of time Victoria’s council spends debating things between regular meetings and committee of the whole, and called for a “more efficient” model. It would be a “wise step” for the municipality to implement the report’s recommendations, he added.
Victoria will hold a municipal election in October.
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