FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: (March 17, 2017)
Local mayors decry spiraling police costs, transportation gridlock, but fail to work together for solutions
Recently Oak Bay hosted a meeting of the Mayors' Caucus of the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) where local and province-wide mayors met to formulate strategies to press provincial political parties on issues facing smaller municipalities in the lead up to the provincial election this coming May.
In many ways this was an opportunity to mini-mimic the Big City Mayors' Caucus (BCMC), a sub-committee within the Federation of Canadian Municipalities designed to give big city mayors a lobbying voice with the Federal Government. But in that case, although (Greater) Victoria's population is the 15th largest urban region in Canada and clearly qualifies it for inclusion in the BCMC, its fragmented municipal balkanization means that no one municipality comes close to meet the minimum population threshold for inclusion in the BCMC.
And so it came to pass that the Mayor of Oak Bay, acting as Chair and spokesperson, and summarizing the outcomes of the recent UBCM Mayors' Caucus, cited the rising cost of policing and transportation at the top of the major problems facing municipalities in BC.
In Greater Victoria's case, there is a clear solution to tackling policing costs in recommendations made in the report Setting the Stage for Improved Efficiency and Effectiveness* from the Centre for Public Safety and Criminal Justice Research, School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, University of the Fraser Valley.
This study recommended the creation of a Greater Victoria regional police force, calling it “a no-brainer”, and went on conclude, that communities could achieve some significant economies of scale with great long term savings to taxpayers if they were to amalgamate local police departments into a single regional force.
“Numerous public safety officials, including former Solicitors-General Wally Oppal and Kash Heed, former police chief Jamie Graham, the BC Coroner and others have likewise criticized the fragmented patchwork of multiple municipal police forces as a major public safety hazard, and have called for a unified regional police force in Greater Victoria” said John Vickers, spokesperson for Amalgamation Yes.
As for transportation solutions, there is clearly no agreement amongst the 13 councils in the Capital Region on how to solve the daily traffic gridlock that is stifling the economic and environmental health of our community. The appointed Board of the Capital Region District failed to win approval for its Regional Transportation Authority when Colwood and Langford, the fastest growing communities and whose residents are the greatest potential beneficiaries of improved transit, refused to approve the initiative.
“Once again, we see the municipal councils of Greater Victoria as the authors of their own misfortune, while making little effort to work together as an urban region to provide optimum services to our community. Best practices include cooperative decision-making, regional thinking, and listening to the public safety experts who offer many easily attainable and realistic solutions to many problems facing Greater Victoria. Local politicians must put good public policy ahead of maintaining personal spheres of influence.” concluded Vickers.
Amalgamation Yes continues to advocate for a comprehensive governance study in Greater Victoria to fulfill the mandate provided by the electorate in 2014 and the promise made by Premier Christy Clark.
Contact Information:
John Vickers
Vice Chair and Spokesperson,
AmalgamationYes
250-661-5350
www.amalgamationyes.ca
*See pages 42-43
Local mayors decry spiraling police costs, transportation gridlock, but fail to work together for solutions
Recently Oak Bay hosted a meeting of the Mayors' Caucus of the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) where local and province-wide mayors met to formulate strategies to press provincial political parties on issues facing smaller municipalities in the lead up to the provincial election this coming May.
In many ways this was an opportunity to mini-mimic the Big City Mayors' Caucus (BCMC), a sub-committee within the Federation of Canadian Municipalities designed to give big city mayors a lobbying voice with the Federal Government. But in that case, although (Greater) Victoria's population is the 15th largest urban region in Canada and clearly qualifies it for inclusion in the BCMC, its fragmented municipal balkanization means that no one municipality comes close to meet the minimum population threshold for inclusion in the BCMC.
And so it came to pass that the Mayor of Oak Bay, acting as Chair and spokesperson, and summarizing the outcomes of the recent UBCM Mayors' Caucus, cited the rising cost of policing and transportation at the top of the major problems facing municipalities in BC.
In Greater Victoria's case, there is a clear solution to tackling policing costs in recommendations made in the report Setting the Stage for Improved Efficiency and Effectiveness* from the Centre for Public Safety and Criminal Justice Research, School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, University of the Fraser Valley.
This study recommended the creation of a Greater Victoria regional police force, calling it “a no-brainer”, and went on conclude, that communities could achieve some significant economies of scale with great long term savings to taxpayers if they were to amalgamate local police departments into a single regional force.
“Numerous public safety officials, including former Solicitors-General Wally Oppal and Kash Heed, former police chief Jamie Graham, the BC Coroner and others have likewise criticized the fragmented patchwork of multiple municipal police forces as a major public safety hazard, and have called for a unified regional police force in Greater Victoria” said John Vickers, spokesperson for Amalgamation Yes.
As for transportation solutions, there is clearly no agreement amongst the 13 councils in the Capital Region on how to solve the daily traffic gridlock that is stifling the economic and environmental health of our community. The appointed Board of the Capital Region District failed to win approval for its Regional Transportation Authority when Colwood and Langford, the fastest growing communities and whose residents are the greatest potential beneficiaries of improved transit, refused to approve the initiative.
“Once again, we see the municipal councils of Greater Victoria as the authors of their own misfortune, while making little effort to work together as an urban region to provide optimum services to our community. Best practices include cooperative decision-making, regional thinking, and listening to the public safety experts who offer many easily attainable and realistic solutions to many problems facing Greater Victoria. Local politicians must put good public policy ahead of maintaining personal spheres of influence.” concluded Vickers.
Amalgamation Yes continues to advocate for a comprehensive governance study in Greater Victoria to fulfill the mandate provided by the electorate in 2014 and the promise made by Premier Christy Clark.
Contact Information:
John Vickers
Vice Chair and Spokesperson,
AmalgamationYes
250-661-5350
www.amalgamationyes.ca
*See pages 42-43