Final Report
The Victoria-Saanich Citizens' Assembly presented its final report to Saanich City Council on July 14, 2025 and to Victoria City Council on July 17, 2025 for consideration.
Over the course of eight months, 48 residents spent 3,000 cumulative hours learning and thinking about the future of Victoria and Saanich. Read the Victoria-Saanich Citizens’ Assembly on Municipal Amalgamation Final Report and watch their video to understand why the assembly believes the two communities should amalgamate.
The report addresses nine key areas including Indigenous relationships, climate resilience, municipal planning, service delivery, police and fire integration, housing affordability, rural lands protection, governance models and conducting a public referendum.
Next Steps
On July 31, 2025, Victoria City Council directed staff to work with their counterparts in Saanich to craft a short question to be placed on the 2026 local election ballot in both municipalities and to report back to Council with that question and any other information staff deem relevant, including whether the public needs more information in order to make an informed decision. City staff are currently working with the District of Saanich and the Province of B.C.
The Process
The Victoria-Saanich Citizens’ Assembly (VSCA) convened its first meeting on September 21, 2024.
The Assembly was tasked with exploring the costs, benefits and disadvantages of amalgamation between the two municipalities and issuing a report to their Councils. It was an independent process commissioned by the elected councils of Victoria and Saanich, and funded by the municipalities and the Province of British Columbia.
Read about the 48 randomly selected residents of Saanich and Victoria who represented all residents of these municipalities on this important and historic civic body.
Much like a jury or task force, the deliberations of a citizens’ assembly are generally confidential and closed to the public. However, members of the public were invited to make a public submission or attend a public meeting in fall 2024.
The community was invited to sign up to receive assembly updates, which included copies of the presentations, reports, meeting summaries and other resources to follow the Assembly’s work.
Learn more at victoriasaanich.ca.
MASS LBP ran the Victoria-Saanich Citizens’ Assembly at arms-length from both municipalities to safeguard the independence of the process.
Background
In 2018, the municipalities of Victoria and Saanich adopted an innovative and transparent public process to explore the costs, benefits and disadvantages of the amalgamation between the City of Victoria and the District of Saanich. The citizens’ assembly process was a deliberative one, providing Victoria and Saanich residents with the opportunity to directly and actively participate.
The Citizens' Assembly was an impartial advisory body tasked with representing the residents of Victoria and Saanich in investigating the costs, benefits and disadvantages of the amalgamation between the City of Victoria and the District of Saanich. In doing so, the Assembly exemplified the highest standards of transparency, accountability and engagement in delivering their report findings to the respective municipal councils.
In March 2022, the provincial minister of municipal affairs and mayors of both municipalities released a joint statement about moving forward with the citizens’ assembly, due to large gatherings being possible again.
Each party agreed to contribute $250,000 for a total of $750,000 toward the cost of a citizens’ assembly and to explore the outcomes, costs, benefits and disadvantages of amalgamation.
The process ensured that people had an opportunity to provide input in an open forum and that a subsequent decision is well-informed and evidence-based.
Terms of Reference
The Committee's Terms of Reference was approved by Victoria City Council on March 3, 2021 and Saanich Council on January 29, 2020.
Victoria's Citizens' Assembly Council Committee was comprised of:
- Mayor Marianne Alto
- Councillor Chris Coleman
- Councillor Susan Kim