Amalgamation committee taking shape this spring

Talk is turning to action on the latest attempt to pursue municipal amalgamation. Invitations to serve on the Victoria-Saanich Citizens’ Assembly have been sent to 10,000 residents in the two communities. They have until May 30 to confirm whether they will participate.

From there, 48 people will be selected through a randomized lottery process that fairly represents the population of both municipalities. Finally, the committee will come together over eight Saturdays starting in September and wrapping up in April. At that point, they will produce a report outlining the pros and cons of merging Greater Victoria’s two largest municipalities.

More local municipalities must meet housing targets

On Tuesday, the provincial government released the next round of municipalities facing scrutiny to ensure they are helping increase BC’s housing supply.

The next 20 priority municipalities include the following in Greater Victoria:

Central Saanich
Colwood
Esquimalt
North Saanich
Sidney
and View Royal.

The first list, released last spring, included the City of Victoria, the District of Saanich and the District of Oak Bay. Each community receives a target number of total units that are expected to be built within a specific time-frame. The targets for the latest communities will be made public this summer.

“The Chamber supports efforts to increase housing supply and we continue to advocate for all levels of government to smooth the process for builders so the construction work needed can be done,” Chamber CEO Bruce Williams said. “I’m looking forward to speaking with Premier Eby next week at the Chamber breakfast to hear firsthand how the province is advocating for support from the federal government.”

The Chamber hosts Premier Eby on April 30. Register now to reserve your seat at the table.