Monday, March 24, 2014

A visit to District Council

Since City Council is not sitting tonight and District Council is, I will make my first visit to make a public input presentation.  On amalgamation of course.


A faction of District Council is in love with the idea of including West Van with the North Van amalgamation.  Why?  It makes no sense, as shown in a few articles in the local papers. Looking at the merger in the most pragmatic way, it is the merger of budgets.  Since West Van spends a dramatically high level of funds to have a separate independent police force and over 13 million dollars for the Blue Bus system, an amalgamation plan would have to either adopt or cancel that spending or the taxes in the City and District of North Van would have to increase to pay for items like those.



I don't see a Plan  that includes West Van being approved by the voters of the City or even the District once they are voting on specifics. This also dooms a North Van amalgamation.



As in the example of the City of Vernon, the Province won't fund any studies or initiatives unless the whole legal process they have laid out is followed. It does not envision multiple or non-binding referenda, that's a waste of time and money.  The new four year term for Councils provide the time to do a proper amalgamation process.


A legal motion in December 2014 starting the legal process. 2 years to write an Amalgamation Plan to be first ratified by both Councils and then by a binding referendum. 

But it doesn't start without that first motion which  need 4 votes on each Council, which will only happen if you vote for the 4 Unite North Van candidates so they can start amalgamation.

Prov Govt says no to Vernon

http://www.vernonmorningstar.com/opinion/242451411.html

When will municipalities in BC learn?  You can't use the term amalgamation to cover what is really one municipality wanting to annex another one.  Until all municipalities concerned pass the exact same motion to have a joint committee write an amalgamation plan, that plan is ratified and put to binding referendum, the province will not approve of any aspect of amalgamation. 

The Province will pay for a restructuring study as part of that joint committee's work and at no other time and certainly not because a Councillor just wants media to launch his campaign to become an MP.