Amalgamation won’t benefit residents
Times Colonist Letters
August 15, 2014
Re: “Businesses push amalgamation,” Aug. 13.
The push by the Chamber of Commerce and the Hotel Association for a vote on amalgamation is both misleading to, and against the best interests of, the residents of the Capital Regional District.
First, business argues that the sewage treatment issue shows that the current system of local government is dysfunctional. Instead, business should blame their friends in the B.C. Liberal government who first ordered sewage treatment to be done by the CRD; and then failed to either enforce the order themselves or to give the CRD the power to do so.
Second, while business says local government taxes are their biggest expense, they do not tell residents which local government services to residents they want to eliminate in order to see their taxes decrease; nor do they say that experience shows amalgamation will actually increase costs and taxes, and result in a more inefficient and less responsive local government.
Finally, the percentage support for the various local governance issues referred to in the Amalgamation Yes poll are based on the views of only 97 people in Victoria and 141 people in Saanich, something that even the pollster conducting the survey acknowledged could not be said to accurately represent the views of the 350,000 residents of the CRD.
The fact remains that most area residents are satisfied with their local municipalities. To make changes to the system in the hopes of reducing business costs and to increase their profits is just poor public policy.
Guy McDannold
Shirley
copyright Times Colonist
Times Colonist Letters
August 15, 2014
Re: “Businesses push amalgamation,” Aug. 13.
The push by the Chamber of Commerce and the Hotel Association for a vote on amalgamation is both misleading to, and against the best interests of, the residents of the Capital Regional District.
First, business argues that the sewage treatment issue shows that the current system of local government is dysfunctional. Instead, business should blame their friends in the B.C. Liberal government who first ordered sewage treatment to be done by the CRD; and then failed to either enforce the order themselves or to give the CRD the power to do so.
Second, while business says local government taxes are their biggest expense, they do not tell residents which local government services to residents they want to eliminate in order to see their taxes decrease; nor do they say that experience shows amalgamation will actually increase costs and taxes, and result in a more inefficient and less responsive local government.
Finally, the percentage support for the various local governance issues referred to in the Amalgamation Yes poll are based on the views of only 97 people in Victoria and 141 people in Saanich, something that even the pollster conducting the survey acknowledged could not be said to accurately represent the views of the 350,000 residents of the CRD.
The fact remains that most area residents are satisfied with their local municipalities. To make changes to the system in the hopes of reducing business costs and to increase their profits is just poor public policy.
Guy McDannold
Shirley
copyright Times Colonist
