FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: (April 24, 2015)
Amalgamation Yes: Municipalities requesting Province of BC to conduct governance study
The November 2014 municipal election resulted in 75% of voters saying Yes to some form of regional governance review question in the Capital Region District.
To date, 5 municipalities with a referendum question on the ballot have acted on the mandate delivered to them by the voters and formally requested that the Minister of Community, Sport and Cultural Development begin this process of study, and Esquimalt has just approved measures to do likewise, bringing the total to 6.
“We're pleased to see Colwood, Central Saanich, Esquimalt, North Saanich, Sidney and Victoria are pursuing measures with the Province to study how we might improve our system of regional governance”, said Tony Heemskerk, Chair of Amalgamation Yes. “Now it's time for the other municipalities in Greater Victoria to afford the same opportunity to their electorate, and to benefit from information that only an unbiased, Provincially-led study can provide”.
“Information gleaned from the study will provide useful information to all municipalities. I can't imagine why any municipality wouldn't want to be part of this effort and instead deny their residents critical information on how service delivery could be improved. It would certainly fly in the face of open and transparent local government if residents were thwarted from information or barred from any kind of participation or input by their local council. That includes those who did not ask their community a question, they are encouraged to follow Colwood’s example”.
The Province has committed to funding and resourcing the review and is planning a collaborative and cooperative approach with regional municipalities. It's a very interesting time in the history of the region – one where we are seeing the local citizenry coming together and involved in a massive push for change, consistent with democratic principles, to decide how they are governed at the local level”, concluded Heemskerk.
Contact Information:
Tony Heemskerk, Chair and Spokesperson, 250-595-5177,
Amalgamation Yes www.amalgamationyes.ca
amalgamateyes@gmail.com
Amalgamation Yes: Municipalities requesting Province of BC to conduct governance study
The November 2014 municipal election resulted in 75% of voters saying Yes to some form of regional governance review question in the Capital Region District.
To date, 5 municipalities with a referendum question on the ballot have acted on the mandate delivered to them by the voters and formally requested that the Minister of Community, Sport and Cultural Development begin this process of study, and Esquimalt has just approved measures to do likewise, bringing the total to 6.
“We're pleased to see Colwood, Central Saanich, Esquimalt, North Saanich, Sidney and Victoria are pursuing measures with the Province to study how we might improve our system of regional governance”, said Tony Heemskerk, Chair of Amalgamation Yes. “Now it's time for the other municipalities in Greater Victoria to afford the same opportunity to their electorate, and to benefit from information that only an unbiased, Provincially-led study can provide”.
“Information gleaned from the study will provide useful information to all municipalities. I can't imagine why any municipality wouldn't want to be part of this effort and instead deny their residents critical information on how service delivery could be improved. It would certainly fly in the face of open and transparent local government if residents were thwarted from information or barred from any kind of participation or input by their local council. That includes those who did not ask their community a question, they are encouraged to follow Colwood’s example”.
The Province has committed to funding and resourcing the review and is planning a collaborative and cooperative approach with regional municipalities. It's a very interesting time in the history of the region – one where we are seeing the local citizenry coming together and involved in a massive push for change, consistent with democratic principles, to decide how they are governed at the local level”, concluded Heemskerk.
Contact Information:
Tony Heemskerk, Chair and Spokesperson, 250-595-5177,
Amalgamation Yes www.amalgamationyes.ca
amalgamateyes@gmail.com
