Amalgamation won't be on the Nov. 15 ballot in Colwood
Times Colonist
October 15, 2014
Colwood council has once again voted against including a non-binding question about amalgamation on the November ballot, but won’t close the door on the issue.
As part of its vote on Tuesday, council resolved to “participate in the exploration process for amalgamation or integrated services in the future with one or more municipalities should the opportunity present itself.”
It was a unanimous vote.
“To me, it’s still a ‘yes,’ without actually being on the ballot — in the sense that we’ve left it open for us to participate when the time comes,” Mayor Carol Hamilton said.
It was time to bring the motion forward considering the momentum that has grown around the topic, Hamilton said. “One by one, we started hearing of more municipalities taking it on,” she said. “So we said let’s bring it back again.”
Colwood council had voted in 2013 in favour of including a non-binding ballot question. At the time, Victoria was the only other municipality in the capital region with plans to hold a referendum on whether to explore what amalgamation in the region might look like.
But after an advertising campaign drew only three volunteers willing to participate in a working group on the wording of a non-binding question, council rescinded its decision on June 9.
Tuesday’s decision means Colwood won’t likely explore amalgamation on its own following the Nov. 15 election, Hamilton said. But it will co-operate with any provincially led initiative to explore the issue.
“We’ve left the door wide open to engage at any point,” she said.
Tony Heemskerk, spokesman for the lobby group Amalgamation Yes, said in a statement that the public has already expressed interest in voting on the topic. In an Angus Reid poll released by the group, 89 per cent of those surveyed felt the question should be on the ballot.
“We are surprised that Colwood would not seek the will of the electorate on this important issue. It would resolve the issues of whether residents wish to review the potential for amalgamation,” Heemskerk said.
Eight of the region’s 13 municipalities have said they plan to include some type of non-binding question on governance on the Nov. 15 ballot. They are North Saanich, Oak Bay, Central Saanich, Langford, Esquimalt, Victoria, Sidney and Saanich.
Times Colonist
October 15, 2014
Colwood council has once again voted against including a non-binding question about amalgamation on the November ballot, but won’t close the door on the issue.
As part of its vote on Tuesday, council resolved to “participate in the exploration process for amalgamation or integrated services in the future with one or more municipalities should the opportunity present itself.”
It was a unanimous vote.
“To me, it’s still a ‘yes,’ without actually being on the ballot — in the sense that we’ve left it open for us to participate when the time comes,” Mayor Carol Hamilton said.
It was time to bring the motion forward considering the momentum that has grown around the topic, Hamilton said. “One by one, we started hearing of more municipalities taking it on,” she said. “So we said let’s bring it back again.”
Colwood council had voted in 2013 in favour of including a non-binding ballot question. At the time, Victoria was the only other municipality in the capital region with plans to hold a referendum on whether to explore what amalgamation in the region might look like.
But after an advertising campaign drew only three volunteers willing to participate in a working group on the wording of a non-binding question, council rescinded its decision on June 9.
Tuesday’s decision means Colwood won’t likely explore amalgamation on its own following the Nov. 15 election, Hamilton said. But it will co-operate with any provincially led initiative to explore the issue.
“We’ve left the door wide open to engage at any point,” she said.
Tony Heemskerk, spokesman for the lobby group Amalgamation Yes, said in a statement that the public has already expressed interest in voting on the topic. In an Angus Reid poll released by the group, 89 per cent of those surveyed felt the question should be on the ballot.
“We are surprised that Colwood would not seek the will of the electorate on this important issue. It would resolve the issues of whether residents wish to review the potential for amalgamation,” Heemskerk said.
Eight of the region’s 13 municipalities have said they plan to include some type of non-binding question on governance on the Nov. 15 ballot. They are North Saanich, Oak Bay, Central Saanich, Langford, Esquimalt, Victoria, Sidney and Saanich.
