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Amalgamation of Victoria municipalities


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#1621 lanforod

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Posted 13 December 2016 - 08:50 AM

^ that is interesting. I've always thought that would start smaller, with CADREB and FVREB joining first. What's the actual purpose of a REB anyways these days. Seems most of the services (lockboxes, MLS, training) could be easily replaced by online services from one company or one national service.



#1622 Matt R.

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Posted 21 December 2016 - 05:56 PM

Whew!!  Bit off topic, but we are going through the process of having a referendum on incorporation here on Salt Spring (yes, that's right, no municipal government here) and it's shaping up to be a lot of fun!

Matt.


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#1623 SusanJones

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Posted 21 December 2016 - 05:59 PM

Whew!!  Bit off topic, but we are going through the process of having a referendum on incorporation here on Salt Spring (yes, that's right, no municipal government here) and it's shaping up to be a lot of fun!

Matt.

How is the general feeling around town Matt?



#1624 Matt R.

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Posted 21 December 2016 - 06:02 PM

Pretty mixed as you might imagine. 

 

Water, police, fire, roads, all big issues.  Some people say incorporating will cost us more and yield fewer services, others say less and yield better services, but from my perspective right now we pay a hell of a lot of tax and get little service!  Especially what we are used to in Victoria or Saanich, etc.  I am pretty sure residential property tax will go up, but commercial property tax will go down, so I know which side I am on.

 

Matt.


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#1625 Nparker

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Posted 30 August 2017 - 08:18 AM

I had to agree with much of a letter in the T-C today

...The word “Victoria” is like a brand name; it has value, but all and sundry living and working in the surrounding 12 municipalities derive significant benefit from carelessly stating that they are established in “Victoria” without having to pay the price of being part of an urban centre...Location is a key driver in our economy...The postal addresses we use outside of the city of Victoria are not just misleading, but also constitute an inadvertent, sly, forced, business subsidy paid for by a municipality of 80,000 souls to benefit the 230,000 living and working in the surrounding districts. It is time the City of Victoria lays claim to its name.


http://www.timescolo...name-1.22256171

I often wonder, how do people who do not reside in the City of Victoria, refer to where they live when travelling abroad? Do they say they live in Langford? Saanich? Sooke? Something tells me they do not. Time to pay up you Victoria-name-using freeloaders.


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#1626 lanforod

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Posted 30 August 2017 - 09:28 AM

I'm happy to amalgamate, you need to pressure your council as well as the rest of us.


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#1627 VicHockeyFan

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Posted 30 August 2017 - 09:31 AM

As someone said on the radio the other day, all we really need is Victoria and Saanich to amalgamate then show the others how efficient it is.  It likely won't be though.


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#1628 Nparker

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Posted 30 August 2017 - 09:33 AM

I'm happy to amalgamate, you need to pressure your council as well as the rest of us.

I pressure them constantly. I'd say Victoria is the most receptive to amalgamation and the other 12 are happy riding on the "big city" coat tails - Oak Bay being the perfect example. It only exists as a bedroom community of Victoria, but they have no desire to amalgamate since the current situation works fine for them. All the benefits of a larger city with none of the costs or responsibilities.



#1629 Nparker

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Posted 30 August 2017 - 09:36 AM

...all we really need is Victoria and Saanich to amalgamate then show the others how efficient it is.  It likely won't be though.

Can someone please explain how anything could be less efficient than what we currently have? I am not saying cheaper, I am saying how would fewer governments and the end of the CRD* be less efficient?

 

* which only exists because are governance is so fragmented


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#1630 lanforod

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Posted 30 August 2017 - 09:38 AM

An argument could be made that having 13 governing councils makes stuff like permits and hearings etc move faster. With 1 or 4 instead of 13, that work would take longer (less efficient). 

 

What we hope though, is that much of that would get delegated instead, to competent staff.



#1631 Nparker

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Posted 30 August 2017 - 09:48 AM

An argument could be made that having 13 governing councils makes stuff like permits and hearings etc move faster...

One could argue that, but it probably wouldn't be true. If it were, Vancouver and Surrey would have ground to a halt years ago.


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#1632 Bingo

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Posted 30 August 2017 - 10:48 AM

I'm happy to amalgamate, you need to pressure your council as well as the rest of us.

 

I'm happy the way things are except for that bunch running the city.


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#1633 Mike K.

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Posted 30 August 2017 - 10:56 AM

An argument could be made that having 13 governing councils makes stuff like permits and hearings etc move faster. With 1 or 4 instead of 13, that work would take longer (less efficient). 

 

What we hope though, is that much of that would get delegated instead, to competent staff.

 

The development community says Victoria's and its 12 other fiefdom's bureaucracy is extremely inefficient, even if there are 13 individual districts. I'm even hearing from large developers working on projects in Langford that it's no longer the development planning and permitting utopia it once was.


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#1634 lanforod

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Posted 30 August 2017 - 11:27 AM

:badpc:  :whyme:  :rtfm:


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#1635 Bingo

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Posted 30 August 2017 - 12:23 PM

:badpc:  :whyme:  :rtfm:

:)  :mad:  :farmer:  :cheers:



#1636 PraiseKek

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Posted 30 August 2017 - 02:04 PM

I guess the real question here is how long before this happens? I know how this stuff works. There will be several referendums that will fail but the long march towards amalgamation will not be stopped by some silly notions of people's opinions. 



#1637 nerka

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Posted 30 August 2017 - 02:08 PM

Oak Bay being the perfect example. It only exists as a bedroom community of Victoria, but they have no desire to amalgamate since the current situation works fine for them. All the benefits of a larger city with none of the costs or responsibilities.

We totally need to build a wall!


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#1638 Nparker

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Posted 30 August 2017 - 02:09 PM

We totally need to build a wall!

I am fine with a wall, but by gum, Oak Bay is going to pay for it.


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#1639 Hotel Mike

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Posted 30 August 2017 - 02:12 PM

Victoria mayors and councils have always backed amalgamation or a serious consideration of it. There is no question the amalgamated city name would stay Victoria, and the entire tax base would be available for downtown improvements and maintenance. It's always been the outlying areas. I also can't see Oak Bay just happily cede its independence. I've often thought that even with an amalgamation, Oak Bay might remain a separate jurisdiction. Kind of like Beverly Hills in the middle of Los Angeles.


Don't be so sure.:cool:

#1640 Coreyburger

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Posted 30 August 2017 - 02:20 PM

Victoria mayors and councils have always backed amalgamation or a serious consideration of it. There is no question the amalgamated city name would stay Victoria, and the entire tax base would be available for downtown improvements and maintenance. It's always been the outlying areas. I also can't see Oak Bay just happily cede its independence. I've often thought that even with an amalgamation, Oak Bay might remain a separate jurisdiction. Kind of like Beverly Hills in the middle of Los Angeles.

 

Except it is usually the other way around. Infrastructure costs are relatively fixed regardless of size of buildings, etc, but tax base is not. Oak Bay simply doesn't generate enough tax to pay for its infrastructure.



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