Maze of municipalities just doesn’t make sense
Times Colonist Letters
September 14, 2014
As a resident of Victoria — Saanich, if you want to be precise — I am baffled as to how a city of our size and population can be made up the way it is. I have been trying to understand ever since moving out here why there are 13 municipalities. By comparison, Toronto amalgamated its boroughs, not without controversy, in 1998; while New York has five boroughs.
Calls for police and fire are routed through a complicated maze of call centres and switchboards, therefore delaying the ability to provide assistance. Toronto and New York, as well as so many other cities throughout North America and the world, have unified police and fire departments. So why is Victoria lagging behind?
A half-hour trip from the downtown core to the ferry terminal goes through three or four municipalities. Likewise, a drive starting in the core and going out to Sooke takes 45 minutes to an hour, but heads through at least four municipalities.
Langford, Colwood, View Royal and Metchosin are already called the Western Communities, so why not make it official?
Could we be reasonable, maybe even rational? Is it really efficient to have it run like this? Please, let’s get the issue on this year’s municipal election and put some consideration into some form of amalgamation.
Amanda Smith
Saanich
Times Colonist Letters
September 14, 2014
As a resident of Victoria — Saanich, if you want to be precise — I am baffled as to how a city of our size and population can be made up the way it is. I have been trying to understand ever since moving out here why there are 13 municipalities. By comparison, Toronto amalgamated its boroughs, not without controversy, in 1998; while New York has five boroughs.
Calls for police and fire are routed through a complicated maze of call centres and switchboards, therefore delaying the ability to provide assistance. Toronto and New York, as well as so many other cities throughout North America and the world, have unified police and fire departments. So why is Victoria lagging behind?
A half-hour trip from the downtown core to the ferry terminal goes through three or four municipalities. Likewise, a drive starting in the core and going out to Sooke takes 45 minutes to an hour, but heads through at least four municipalities.
Langford, Colwood, View Royal and Metchosin are already called the Western Communities, so why not make it official?
Could we be reasonable, maybe even rational? Is it really efficient to have it run like this? Please, let’s get the issue on this year’s municipal election and put some consideration into some form of amalgamation.
Amanda Smith
Saanich