Victoria residents are primed to see an amalgamation question on the ballot when the 2026 municipal election rolls around.
Council tasked staff with crafting such a question after receiving the Victoria-Saanich Citizens’ Assembly final report during its July 17 meeting.
Mayor Marianne Alto made the motion to have Victoria staff work with their Saanich peers to craft a short question for the 2026 local election ballot in both municipalities and to report back to council with that question and any other information staff deem relevant, including whether the public needs more information to make an informed decision.
It’s in line with the assembly’s ask that both Saanich, who received the report on July 14, and Victoria include a referendum question on the next municipal election.
Alto hopes staff can create something simple that can be answered yes or no.
“It’s important for there to be the same question in both municipalities, so it’s identical,” Alto said. She expressed that the information provided by the assembly is sufficient to craft a question, and that it should be enough for the public to make a decision, acknowledging that the conversation will continue when a question comes before council.
Coun. Jeremy Caradonna was the first to confirm that the conversation will continue, as he plans to advocate for additional work so voters can be informed. Calling it a mistake for the assembly to take a “yes” position, Caradonna voiced disappointment at the lack of more thorough financial and labour analyses, for example, to help the average Victoria voter determine the positives and drawbacks. Caradonna specifically noted a concern for layoffs.
“We don’t have a lot of time left… but I do think there’s an opportunity to do some additional work, so that voters can feel informed,” he said.
The assembly also requested that the two councils provide equal resources to the process and commit to civic engagement and public education, including hiring a neutral third party to manage that piece.
With a report vehemently suggesting “yes” to amalgamation, Victoria council was deliberately more considered in its conversation on the subject.
Coun. Matt Dell noted Saanich tends to borrow funds while Victoria saves up, and wondered how that would be reconciled. Both have big projects underway, with Victoria set to start building a new Crystal Pool and Saanich in the early phases of borrowing for a new public works site.
In response to another Dell question, the assembly noted that tax levels in the two municipalities, while different, are comparable, and harmonization would not have a significant impact.
“This report does not convince me amalgamation is in the best interest of Victoria residents,” Dell said.
While the assembly looked at several council makeups, such as a ward, at large or hybrid, Coun. Chris Coleman noted that it didn’t recommend one. The assembly did suggest an 11-member council including the mayor.
With these questions, and more, council unanimously supported moving forward, with most anticipating further investigation.
Both councils need to do their work beforehand, and part of that is considering costs and risks, Coun. Dave Thompson said, adding both Saanich and Victoria need to ensure adequate information is available to the public.
“This report … is more about process and conclusions than it is about facts. So a lot of what you’ll see in the report is [that] we heard from these people and we believe. And the ‘we believe’ is conclusions around various topics,” he said.
The question of amalgamation is not a new one for Greater Victoria.
Several communities in the region posed a question of amalgamation on municipal ballots a decade ago. At that time, Saanich, Central Saanich, Sidney, Langford and North Saanich residents favoured further exploration. Oak Bay residents did not support such a notion.
In 2018, planning of the citizens' assembly began with support from the province, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the process was temporarily halted.
The Victoria-Saanich Citizens' Assembly held its first session on Sept. 21, 2024, to start exploring the costs, benefits and disadvantages of amalgamation between the two municipalities.
Find the 104-page report and background information online at victoriasaanich.ca.
