Natasha Baldin/News Staff
A citizen-led assembly that will explore the amalgamation of Victoria and Saanich will be moving ahead to phase one after the City of Victoria council gave staff its support Thursday (June 22) to start the process of hiring a consultant.
Once hired, the consultant will initiate phase two, a civic lottery to randomly select a 48-person assembly of Victoria and Saanich residents, split proportionately by population. Members of the assembly will convene for six to 12 Saturday sessions, according to the report presented to the committee of the whole.
Council was reassured that the citizens’ assembly would be “as inclusive as possible,” and would represent the population of both municipalities by including a proportionate number of different age cohorts, males and females, renters and homeowners, urban and rural residents, plus members of First Nations.
The assembly process is expected to be complete by 2026, but that does not necessarily mean the amalgamation question will be up to citizens to decide on the 2026 municipal election ballot, according to policy consultant Barrie Nicholls.
“It’s tough to say at this point what the final outcome will be because we’re jumping ahead of creating conclusions of what the citizens’ council might recommend in the end,” he said.
The province, which has funded $250,000 toward the project, is requiring a report back by the end of the year on confirmation of the recruitment process and a preliminary work plan.
Council said it looks forward to receiving future updates as the assembly progresses through future stages.
“It’s hard for us around this table not to try and jump into the process and guide it, and that’s not our job,” Coun. Chris Coleman said. “We have set this up for a citizens’ assembly, and I look forward to them doing their work.”
READ MORE: Saanich putting developments ‘through the wringer’ only adds to crisis: expert