Friday, October 21, 2011

Priority Four UNITE NORTH VANCOUVER

Amalgamation is the issue I have received the most questions and comments on, it might be priority number four but it is fundamental to achieving the goals of the other priorities in the long term.

Simply, if elected, I will propose a motion to hold a referendum on the City and District becoming one municipality under a set of listed questions. The District would have to conduct a referendum with the exact same question during the election of 2014.  If both "yes" sides win, the province would be asked to create one municipality.

We would have two years to work out a referendum deal but one thing is clear from the start, the resulting Council of nine members should be a Mayor and four Councillors from each party.

I have been questioned on why it is the City's interest when our reserves are far greater than that of the District.   Funds like the Lower Lonsdale Amenity Fund are fixed to a particular geographic area and its spending is fixed to that area. 


It is also essential that the amalgamation is used to kept orientated as a cost saving measure.  The Council and residents have to be completely involved and keep a close eye on how it is implemented.  That is the pitfall that other cities have fallen into, they let the process be done behind closed doors where the vested interests control things.

P.S. Some areas, like our Fire departments should be merged as a shared service with all three municipalities on the North Shore.

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