Capital Region Municipal Amalgamation Society
Board of Directors 2020 - 2021
James Anderson (President)
James is a graduate of UBC in Regional Planning, a 40 year resident and retired senior manger of the BC Government. He has experience with land use for parks/recreation, agriculture and coastal resources, and is the author of BC’s Magnificent Parks; the first 100 years. James is a former resident of Edmonton and Calgary where even with massive urban growth were governed as unified city states, and particularly with joint use facilities between schools and community recreation. James is concerned with the unequal contribution of many CRD residents to the costs of arts/culture, recreation and social services/housing, the integration of regional emergency services and failure of our municipal leaders to give priority to need for regional transportation plan.
Earle Anthony (Secretary)
Earle Anthony graduated from UBC with a Degree in Applied Science (Civil Engineer). He worked for the Ministry of Environment, Province of BC for the next 25 years. During this time period he lived in Victoria, Kamloops and Kelowna. During the 1980s he supervised the drafting and redrafting of the environmental legislation of the Province. In 1989, he moved to Vancouver and joined Environment Canada as Regional Director General for the Pacific Region, and retired in 1995. In retirement he operated a small vegetable farm on the Saanich Peninsula for 13 years. During this period he was the first chair of the Industry-Government Technical Committee at Royal Roads University. In 2007 he moved to Oak Bay, and in June 2013 he became the first Secretary of the Capital Region Municipal Amalgamation Society Board of Directors.
Ivan Crossett
Ivan has lived in Victoria since migrating from the UK in 1968. He is a plumber by trade and worked as foreman/superintendent on a number of large projects in Victoria, Saanich and Oak Bay. He was elected as Business Manager, Financial Secretary for the Plumbers and Pipe fitters Union Local 324 in 1977 and served until retirement in January 1998. "I am a great believer in less government and that Amalgamation Yes is heading in the right direction."
John Ellis
John had a 30-year career in the Canadian Armed Forces, the last 18 here in Victoria. After retiring in 2017, he completed an Masters of Business Administration at Royal Roads University and started a consulting firm, focused on strategic planning in the arts. As part of his research it became evident that having 13 individual municipalities in this region create significant duplication of services that draw on similar resources. Drawing parallels from the arts community to the larger community of Greater Victoria, John is interested in creating efficiency and reducing barriers to innovation that often seem improbable in the fractured politics in our region.
Lesley Ewing
Lesley is a retired senior executive with the Province of BC and a graduate of the University of Victoria. She has a keen interest in public policy at all levels of government and believes that a unified Greater Victoria will provide more effective local services and give a greater voice to local concerns with the federal and provincial governments. She also advocates for improved pedestrian and cycling infrastructure across the region and the positive economic, social and health benefits that will result.
James Legh
James is a lawyer, businessman and community volunteer. He a past chair of the National Scout Foundation and is active with local youth through the Scouting program. He has been the President of the Victoria Bar Association on two occasions. He has worked with the Victoria Foundation, been a member Saanich Police Board, a director of Children's Museum of Victoria Association, the Learning Disabilities Association of British Columbia, Stages Dance Theatre Society and Kaleidoscope Theatre Productions Society. He is a holder of the Chief Scout's Award and has been recognized by the Saanich Volunteer Adult Award (2001), the Medal of Merit for service to Scouting (2005), the Canadian Bar Association (B.C.) Community Service Award (2008), awarded the VBA Volunteer Award in 2013, and the Bar to the Medal of Merit for continued good service to Scouting (2011). He owns businesses located in Victoria, Esquimalt, Langford and Sooke.
Paulette Marsollier
Paulette has an accounting background. She worked with the Alberta Children’s Hospital Child Abuse Program, and spent 30+ years as a real estate brokerage owner/realtor. She has served on the Calgary Real Estate Board, the Alberta Real Estate Association, the Victoria Real Estate Board, and the Canadian Condominium Institute. Paulette is currently on the board of the Vancouver Island Strata Owners Association, the Rotary Club of Victoria, and President of the Newcomers of Victoria Alumnae.
Sandie Menzies (Treasurer)
Sandie is a Greater Victorian who grew up in Gordon Head, graduating from Mt. Douglas High School and the University of Victoria. During the years that her children were growing up, she served on the executives of both Gordon Head Soccer and the Saanich Lacrosse Association. Her family has been involved in the plumbing and heating business in Greater Victoria since 1909, and has experienced the difficulties of working across municipal boundaries. For 15 years she operated a bed and breakfast. She believes that the people of Greater Victoria should have an opportunity to tell the local politicians how they feel about amalgamation in the Capital Region.
Colin Nielsen (Vice-President)
Colin is a retired RCMP member and he served as their representative on the CRD Enhanced 9-1-1 project. The unnecessary complexity originally built into the region’s 9-1-1 system to accommodate multiple emergency response agencies convinced him that a regional emergency centre would provide more effective and efficient service. Colin has lived in Greater Victoria since 1967.
Doug Pascoe
Doug has over 30 years in banking, focusing on commercial financial services. He spent 30 years with the Royal Bank, retiring as Vice-President of Commercial Financial Services for Surrey, Delta and White Rock in June/15. He relocated from Abbotsford to Saanich in May/16 and then worked two years for Island Savings, a division of First West Credit Union as Regional Manager, Commercial Banking and retired in April/18. Doug led a team of seven Advisors serving members in commercial and business banking in the Greater Victoria and Gulf Islands geographical market, with a diversified portfolio and a focus on real estate development. He graduated from UBC in 1983 with a Bachelor of Commerce with a major in Urban Land Economics and has been a Professional Member of the Real Estate Institute of BC since 1991. Being a new resident in Greater Victoria, Doug was surprised to see the current multiplicity of municipalities and is interested in better governance for the region.
NOMINATING COMMITTEE:
Tony Heemskerk
Shellie Gudgeon
THANKS TO RETIRING BOARD MEMBERS!
Shellie Gudgeon, Marg Gardner and Chris Flemming have retired from the Board, but continue to be strong advocates for governance reform in Greater Victoria.
Board of Directors 2020 - 2021
James Anderson (President)
James is a graduate of UBC in Regional Planning, a 40 year resident and retired senior manger of the BC Government. He has experience with land use for parks/recreation, agriculture and coastal resources, and is the author of BC’s Magnificent Parks; the first 100 years. James is a former resident of Edmonton and Calgary where even with massive urban growth were governed as unified city states, and particularly with joint use facilities between schools and community recreation. James is concerned with the unequal contribution of many CRD residents to the costs of arts/culture, recreation and social services/housing, the integration of regional emergency services and failure of our municipal leaders to give priority to need for regional transportation plan.
Earle Anthony (Secretary)
Earle Anthony graduated from UBC with a Degree in Applied Science (Civil Engineer). He worked for the Ministry of Environment, Province of BC for the next 25 years. During this time period he lived in Victoria, Kamloops and Kelowna. During the 1980s he supervised the drafting and redrafting of the environmental legislation of the Province. In 1989, he moved to Vancouver and joined Environment Canada as Regional Director General for the Pacific Region, and retired in 1995. In retirement he operated a small vegetable farm on the Saanich Peninsula for 13 years. During this period he was the first chair of the Industry-Government Technical Committee at Royal Roads University. In 2007 he moved to Oak Bay, and in June 2013 he became the first Secretary of the Capital Region Municipal Amalgamation Society Board of Directors.
Ivan Crossett
Ivan has lived in Victoria since migrating from the UK in 1968. He is a plumber by trade and worked as foreman/superintendent on a number of large projects in Victoria, Saanich and Oak Bay. He was elected as Business Manager, Financial Secretary for the Plumbers and Pipe fitters Union Local 324 in 1977 and served until retirement in January 1998. "I am a great believer in less government and that Amalgamation Yes is heading in the right direction."
John Ellis
John had a 30-year career in the Canadian Armed Forces, the last 18 here in Victoria. After retiring in 2017, he completed an Masters of Business Administration at Royal Roads University and started a consulting firm, focused on strategic planning in the arts. As part of his research it became evident that having 13 individual municipalities in this region create significant duplication of services that draw on similar resources. Drawing parallels from the arts community to the larger community of Greater Victoria, John is interested in creating efficiency and reducing barriers to innovation that often seem improbable in the fractured politics in our region.
Lesley Ewing
Lesley is a retired senior executive with the Province of BC and a graduate of the University of Victoria. She has a keen interest in public policy at all levels of government and believes that a unified Greater Victoria will provide more effective local services and give a greater voice to local concerns with the federal and provincial governments. She also advocates for improved pedestrian and cycling infrastructure across the region and the positive economic, social and health benefits that will result.
James Legh
James is a lawyer, businessman and community volunteer. He a past chair of the National Scout Foundation and is active with local youth through the Scouting program. He has been the President of the Victoria Bar Association on two occasions. He has worked with the Victoria Foundation, been a member Saanich Police Board, a director of Children's Museum of Victoria Association, the Learning Disabilities Association of British Columbia, Stages Dance Theatre Society and Kaleidoscope Theatre Productions Society. He is a holder of the Chief Scout's Award and has been recognized by the Saanich Volunteer Adult Award (2001), the Medal of Merit for service to Scouting (2005), the Canadian Bar Association (B.C.) Community Service Award (2008), awarded the VBA Volunteer Award in 2013, and the Bar to the Medal of Merit for continued good service to Scouting (2011). He owns businesses located in Victoria, Esquimalt, Langford and Sooke.
Paulette Marsollier
Paulette has an accounting background. She worked with the Alberta Children’s Hospital Child Abuse Program, and spent 30+ years as a real estate brokerage owner/realtor. She has served on the Calgary Real Estate Board, the Alberta Real Estate Association, the Victoria Real Estate Board, and the Canadian Condominium Institute. Paulette is currently on the board of the Vancouver Island Strata Owners Association, the Rotary Club of Victoria, and President of the Newcomers of Victoria Alumnae.
Sandie Menzies (Treasurer)
Sandie is a Greater Victorian who grew up in Gordon Head, graduating from Mt. Douglas High School and the University of Victoria. During the years that her children were growing up, she served on the executives of both Gordon Head Soccer and the Saanich Lacrosse Association. Her family has been involved in the plumbing and heating business in Greater Victoria since 1909, and has experienced the difficulties of working across municipal boundaries. For 15 years she operated a bed and breakfast. She believes that the people of Greater Victoria should have an opportunity to tell the local politicians how they feel about amalgamation in the Capital Region.
Colin Nielsen (Vice-President)
Colin is a retired RCMP member and he served as their representative on the CRD Enhanced 9-1-1 project. The unnecessary complexity originally built into the region’s 9-1-1 system to accommodate multiple emergency response agencies convinced him that a regional emergency centre would provide more effective and efficient service. Colin has lived in Greater Victoria since 1967.
Doug Pascoe
Doug has over 30 years in banking, focusing on commercial financial services. He spent 30 years with the Royal Bank, retiring as Vice-President of Commercial Financial Services for Surrey, Delta and White Rock in June/15. He relocated from Abbotsford to Saanich in May/16 and then worked two years for Island Savings, a division of First West Credit Union as Regional Manager, Commercial Banking and retired in April/18. Doug led a team of seven Advisors serving members in commercial and business banking in the Greater Victoria and Gulf Islands geographical market, with a diversified portfolio and a focus on real estate development. He graduated from UBC in 1983 with a Bachelor of Commerce with a major in Urban Land Economics and has been a Professional Member of the Real Estate Institute of BC since 1991. Being a new resident in Greater Victoria, Doug was surprised to see the current multiplicity of municipalities and is interested in better governance for the region.
NOMINATING COMMITTEE:
Tony Heemskerk
Shellie Gudgeon
THANKS TO RETIRING BOARD MEMBERS!
Shellie Gudgeon, Marg Gardner and Chris Flemming have retired from the Board, but continue to be strong advocates for governance reform in Greater Victoria.