It is great to see the grass-roots democratic process, the Citizens’ Assembly approved by a majority of Saanich and Victoria voters in October 2018, finally commence its deliberations.
What is not great to see is that Saanich Coun. Nathalie Chambers, who through the public comments recorded in a recent article, has chosen to ignore the commitment made by the elected officials of Saanich and Victoria in the Terms of Reference, a public document posted on the Victoria-Saanich Citizens’ Assembly website www.victoriasaanich.ca.
Under “Phase 2, Roles and Responsibilities, Item 10,” it states: “The District of Saanich and City of Victoria will respect and support the independence and integrity of the Assembly. Municipal elected officials and staff will remain at arm’s length during deliberations of the Assembly and will not comment publicly on the work of the Assembly while the work is underway.”
The specifics of the councillor’s comments and concerns in the article do not merit discussion in this forum and are best addressed during the deliberations of the Citizens’ Assembly. It is the fact that comments on amalgamation were made by the elected official in the first place that is of issue.
As a concerned citizen who wants to ensure the Citizens’ Assembly process is free from political interference, the councillor’s violation of the terms of reference is distressing and it is hoped that going forward all councillors from both municipalities, including Nathalie Chambers, will abide by their commitment to the citizens who voted in favour of this impartial democratic process.
Doug Pascoe
Saanich
