After an hour of bewildering debate, Saanich council over-ruled Mayor Fred Haynes and ditched his plan to cancel amalgamation talks with Victoria due to the pandemic.
They had to fight their way through a lot of confusion before firmly shelving his idea. Proceedings got so complicated that Haynes wound up voting against two of his own motions. He also had to explain that the word 鈥渃ancellation鈥� doesn鈥檛 mean cancellation.
鈥淭he use of the word cancellation is exceedingly unfortunate because it鈥檚 been taken to mean cancelling the citizens鈥� assembly,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat is not the intent.鈥�
That was during his protracted scramble to explain himself to colleagues who were suspicious of a surprise motion he put on the agenda last week for Monday night鈥檚 meeting.
It was to write Victoria and the provincial government informing them Saanich was ceasing any moves until further notice on the citizens鈥� assembly that was to study amalgamation.
The paperwork came under the heading: 鈥淐ancellation of Amalgamation Study.鈥�
It was in response to the difficulties COVID-19 created for upcoming meetings on the topic. The assembly would have 75 members and getting together in person and holding hearings would be impossible.
Haynes insisted he just meant to 鈥減ause鈥� or postpone the work done to date due to the emergency. 鈥淚f I had to write it again, I would not use the word cancellation.鈥�
But he had also recommended taking the $250,000 allocated for the work and using it elsewhere. As well, he planned to ask council to remove amalgamation studies from the municipality鈥檚 four-year strategic plan.
He told council by letter that citizen assembly meetings would be impossible for the foreseeable future.
鈥淒ecisions coming out of the Citizens鈥� Assembly 鈥� if amalgamation was the recommendation, would bring additional uncertainties possibly requiring a referendum on top of the uncertainty issues we are addressing with the COVID-19 pandemic and its recovery.鈥�
Citing a 鈥�24 to 36 month timeframe,鈥� he wrote, 鈥渨e can no longer responsibly support this initiative at this time.鈥�
Haynes said he gave no notice to Victoria because he wanted his council to see and discuss it first.
The more they talked about it, the less they liked it.
There was some initial acceptance of his explanation he just wanted a pause.
Haynes said they could have just 鈥渓et it drift,鈥� but he wanted to start debate on how the amalgamation study should respond to the health restrictions.
Coun. Rebecca Mersereau said of all the things on hold, the citizens鈥� assembly was the only one that was losing funding. 鈥淭hat unfortunately leaves me feeling like the only logical conclusion as to why is perhaps it鈥檚 a convenient opportunity for those who don鈥檛 support this initiative to remove funding for it.鈥�
Coun. Ned Taylor said Haynes鈥� motion was obviously a proposal to cancel the amalgamation study, and he opposed it. 鈥淒espite what any member of council thinks about the idea of amalgamation, the public has asked us to look at this.鈥�
Haynes said the motion in fact 鈥渋s quite the opposite鈥� of cancelling.
The gravity of the referendum vote made it appropriate to inform people that it can鈥檛 proceed at present, he said.
鈥淚 just can鈥檛 imagine how confusing this must be for members of the public,鈥� Taylor remarked.
After most councillors spoke against, Haynes joined them in voting against it.
He later tried to table the motion, but councillors objected to the impression that would leave, so he joined them in voting against that idea, too.
Eventually they voted to ask staff to talk to Victoria about how the citizens鈥� assembly might proceed.
So the citizens鈥� assembly almost succumbed to COVID-19, but survived, for now.
It might even make the amalgamation idea stronger.
The financial nightmares Victoria and Saanich are just entering now will demolish every assumption ever made about local governments鈥� stability and fiscal capacity. A聽lot of those are relied upon by opponents of amalgamation who want to maintain the 鈥渂usiness as usual鈥� traditions.
They started evaporating a month ago. They鈥檒l be gone completely by the time the tax shortfalls develop later this year. Amalgamation could become a more realistic option as the status quo vanishes.
