Victoria Capital Region Community Wellbeing Survey:
A Profile of the Wellbeing of Victoria Capital Region Residents

Canadian Index of Wellbeing, University of Waterloo
August 2014


Read the full survey document here.

Excerpts from the survey document on Amalgamation 
(comments made by those surveyed)

On Amalgamation:

•   Get rid of current 13 Municipal gov and have an elected CRD with one mayor for Greater Victoria.

•   Municipal government amalgamation. 

•   Amalgamate municipalities! 

•   fight Amalgamation 

•   Combine all the different municipalities. 

•   municipalities in Greater Victoria should join together and the CRD does not spend the taxpayers money wisely. It has become to big and unaccountable for some wasteful actions and spending. 

•   The lack of cooperation between municipalities leads to poor traffic management. Witness the constant traffic problems at Craigflower and Admirals. In my view the municipalities of at least View Royal, Esquimalt and the City of Victoria should be amalgamated, to ensure better services.

•   I live in East Sooke, it is my community. The biggest issue here is the uncertainty around East Sooke being absorbed into either the town of Sooke or Metchosin. If this is inevitable than it should be addressed sooner than later.
  
  
•   The overall well being of all of the disparate communities of Greater Victoria will be much improved when all the communities are amalgamated into one City without all the ridiculous duplication of services and costs that we presently have.
  
  
•   all 13 communities to amalgamate
  
  
•   Amalgamation of Victoria’s many municipalities.
  
  
•   we need to amalgamate our disjointed municipal governments and get rid of the CRD
  
  
•   It is ridiculous to me that we have 13 municipalities in this community. They should be amalgamated. If it is done properly, then perhaps there would be more money to help those who are homeless or without enough to feed and clothe themselves.
  
  
•   We have 13 municipal govt’s in Victoria and capital regional district. We need to amalgamate to save taxes and get decisions made. Don’t need a CRD and an example of this is current sewer project , [illegible] is completely off course.
  
  
•   AMALGAMATION
  
  
•   Incorporate the 13? municipalities of southern Vancouver Island
  
  
•   We require amalgamation of our several municipalities.
  
  
•   Larger issues (sewage, transportation, homelessness, school system, etc.) will only become larger if there is not some form of amalgamation. There is far too much local government, with an inverse amount of good governing.
  
  
•   How does it make sense now a days to run 350,000 people under 11 municipalities, whe cities like Surrey, Halifax, Hamilton, Kitchener/Waterloo, have the same or close to same populations, why do we need a CRD government, and 11 municipalities making all the decisions when only one government body is needed.
  
  
•   A democratic, rational local government - responsive to community input, making wise economic & infrastructure decisions - would be a big improvement. Amalgamation of 13 local municipalities is essential.
  
  
•   Amalgamate the CRD communities to eliminate ridiculous duplication and abhorrent regional traffic management.
  
  
•   Amalgamation of services and municipalities is essential in curbing costs and eliminating NIMBYism
  
  
•   Amalgamation and get rid of the CRD
  
  
•   amalgamate and do away with CRD
  
  
•   Confused by regional versus local versus multiple local governments for a fairly small population. Lived through consolidations in Ottawa and Toronto. Seems to be “3 rd rail” in this community or region. I probably won’t live long enough on this lovely isle to see a rational consolidation. Not enough local folk have been exposed to other parts of Canada. That was the cue at Vic West community association, which I joined a decade ago, for several members to tell me to go back to whence I came.
  
  
•   Amalgamate the CRD municipalities
  

•   Police, Fire, Ambulance, Transit, Sewage, Garbage, Parks should all be amalgamated so that projects will be completed on time and on budget.
  
  
•   Consolidate municipal governments into one.
  
  
•   The governance of 350,000 by 13 municipalities is a legacy of early settlement and has little advantage in todays society. The result in the broader community is a lack a clear shared vision and a set of values that help guide the future growth and governance. One only has to look at the ‘Blue Bridge’ and the Waste Treatment issues to identify ‘free riders’ and self interest that have driven some municipalities. It is time for and effective and efficient regional government!
  
  
•   disband the CRD, amalgamate 13 local municipalities, reduce red tape , Bureaucracy, property taxes, union jobs & wages
  
  
•   Amalgamate. Having 13 different fiefdoms is crazy and a waste of limited resources and over management of the GVR A huge cost for all the bureaucracy (Police, Fire ,Councils 13 mayors Administration for 300M plus citizens) residents.
  
  
•   Amalgamate the municipalities that presently comprise the Capital Region. At present Greater Victoria cannot compete nationally or have the infrastructure support that other smaller cities enjoy because we are too busy competing among ourselves. It is an absurdity that a city-region of 350,000 is divided into 13 municipalities.
  
  
•   Amalgamation of all of the municipalities of Greater Victoria would be more efficient.
  
  
•   Amalgamation of the 13 communities that make up the greater Victoria area is needed to streamline services and to become eligible for more Federal and Provincial funding. Current practices are inefficient and the quality of elected municipal councils is eak.
  
  
•   Amalgamation. Less consultation and studies. Need politicians who can make strong decisions and stand by those decisions.
  
  
•   Less amalgamation means more personal service and more attention to individual needs.
  
  
•   I’m concerned that i won’t be able to afford to retire where i currently live, due to higher costs of living and expenses, to many local government municipalities , should consider becoming alamagamated in-order to save tax payers money, and expenses, especially in services offered, over lap of services and by-laws, to many police forces, too many mayor’s/ councillor’s, city hall’s, city yards maintenance people, salaried employee’s, pensions to pay out, we currently have 11 municipalities running with 6 police forces, 11 mayor’s and councillor’s, 11 city halls, 11 city yards, and services, 11 municipalities with less than 100,00 people living in them. All these buildings and services cost money to maintain, run, and pay salaries, pensions, etc. We should aso have one garbage collection service, instead we have several different one’s all costing different amounts of money for the home owner.
  
  
•   I am extremely happy living in this community. I think the overall well-being of the community would be enhanced by amalgamating the 3 communities on the Peninsula: Sidney, North Saanich and Central Saanich. In North Saanich, the political in-fighting n the Municipal Council is detrimental to the well-being of the community. Money could be saved, as well as a more coordinated approach to community planning could be achieved through amalgamation. The CRD could easily be reorganized to 3 core communities. The issue should be placed on the ballet box in each region in the fall.
  
  
•   Amalgamation of the different municipalities. Very Difficult to improve things with so many decision making bodies not wanting to co-operate with each other.
  
  
•   We should consider amalgamation! Should have three municipalities instead of thirteen! This should improve services and limit red tape.