FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: (June 11th, 2014)
Colwood Council not interested in engaging voters – satisfied with CRD governance -- drops amalgamation vote from the November 2014 municipal ballot.
Mayor Carol Hamilton announced via CFAX today that Colwood Council will not place a non-binding question on the November ballot because the City received only three responses to calls for a public meeting on the matter.
On June 25th 2013 a Colwood special Committee of the Whole agreed to:
“When you have a topic of discussion like amalgamation that has been around for decades, the fact that phones are not suddenly ringing off the hook doesn’t mean residents don’t welcome the opportunity to have their say when it comes to regional governance”, said John Vickers, spokesperson for AmalgamationYes.
Only 24% of the 11,586 eligible voters in Colwood voted in the 2011 municipal election. In the CFAX interview, Mayor Hamilton discussed the problem of disengaged voters in her community at length, but then immediately nixed any opportunity to engage them.
“Nothing will draw voters to the polls more than a question on amalgamation, added John Vickers “We believe that given the democratic right to voice their opinion, the public will opt for fewer cities, fewer mayors and a willingness to improve how we all can work together for a strong and united region.”
Susan Jones, President of AmalgamationYes, commented “A non-binding question on amalgamation would spur a review of our governance model, invite public participation, facilitate community engagement and would surely increase voter participation in the upcoming election. For these reasons, the actions of Mayor Hamilton and the Colwood Council are disappointing and difficult to understand. However, we will continue to work with community members who are expressing interest by signing the petition and reaching out to our society for information.”
The petition can be accessed online: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/amalgamationyes/.
The petition statement is “We, the signatories below, request that Council of each municipality or township place the following non-binding question on the 2014 Municipal Election Ballot. Are you in favour of reducing the number of municipalities in the Capital Regional District through amalgamation? (A positive result would motivate the Province of BC to commission an expert study to compare various municipal amalgamation models against the status quo and trigger community engagement about how we wish to be governed.)”
Contact Information:
Susan Jones: Amalgamation Yes Chair, 250-217-5340
John Vickers: Amalgamation Yes Spokesperson, 250-661-5350
www.amalgamationyes.ca
Colwood Council not interested in engaging voters – satisfied with CRD governance -- drops amalgamation vote from the November 2014 municipal ballot.
Mayor Carol Hamilton announced via CFAX today that Colwood Council will not place a non-binding question on the November ballot because the City received only three responses to calls for a public meeting on the matter.
On June 25th 2013 a Colwood special Committee of the Whole agreed to:
- Place a question on the 2014 municipal election ballot to determine if the Colwood electorate wished the municipality to amalgamate or integrate with other capital region municipalities. Exact wording of the question to be determined.
- Strike an internal task force to engage the public in this process and educate the public as to why the question is being asked.
- Allocate $3,000 from the 2013 budget for this purpose.
“When you have a topic of discussion like amalgamation that has been around for decades, the fact that phones are not suddenly ringing off the hook doesn’t mean residents don’t welcome the opportunity to have their say when it comes to regional governance”, said John Vickers, spokesperson for AmalgamationYes.
Only 24% of the 11,586 eligible voters in Colwood voted in the 2011 municipal election. In the CFAX interview, Mayor Hamilton discussed the problem of disengaged voters in her community at length, but then immediately nixed any opportunity to engage them.
“Nothing will draw voters to the polls more than a question on amalgamation, added John Vickers “We believe that given the democratic right to voice their opinion, the public will opt for fewer cities, fewer mayors and a willingness to improve how we all can work together for a strong and united region.”
Susan Jones, President of AmalgamationYes, commented “A non-binding question on amalgamation would spur a review of our governance model, invite public participation, facilitate community engagement and would surely increase voter participation in the upcoming election. For these reasons, the actions of Mayor Hamilton and the Colwood Council are disappointing and difficult to understand. However, we will continue to work with community members who are expressing interest by signing the petition and reaching out to our society for information.”
The petition can be accessed online: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/amalgamationyes/.
The petition statement is “We, the signatories below, request that Council of each municipality or township place the following non-binding question on the 2014 Municipal Election Ballot. Are you in favour of reducing the number of municipalities in the Capital Regional District through amalgamation? (A positive result would motivate the Province of BC to commission an expert study to compare various municipal amalgamation models against the status quo and trigger community engagement about how we wish to be governed.)”
Contact Information:
Susan Jones: Amalgamation Yes Chair, 250-217-5340
John Vickers: Amalgamation Yes Spokesperson, 250-661-5350
www.amalgamationyes.ca