Over the course of eight months, 48 residents spent 3000 cumulative hours learning and thinking about the future of Victoria and Saanich.
Read the final report of the Victoria-Saanich Citizens’ Assembly and watch their video to understand why the assembly believes the two communities should amalgamate.
Citizens' Assembly Recommends
Municipal Amalgamation
After eight months of deliberation, the Victoria-Saanich Citizens' Assembly has completed its work and will formally present its final report to both municipal councils during the week of July 15 (Saanich) and July 17 (Victoria).
The 48 randomly selected residents reached consensus after extensive study of the issue. They heard from 21 expert speakers, reviewed a comprehensive technical study, considered 57 public submissions, and engaged with more than 250 residents through public meetings.
The Assembly concluded: "Having considered the costs, benefits and disadvantages to the best of our abilities and with the information available to us, we recommend the amalgamation of Victoria and Saanich. We ultimately concluded that amalgamating and becoming a unified city is the best form of government for our two municipalities."
Their comprehensive 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.
The recommendation now rests with both municipal councils for consideration. If endorsed, a public referendum could be held during the 2026 municipal elections, requiring majority support in both communities for amalgamation to proceed.
Watch the Assembly Video
Learn more about the Assembly
Read about the Assembly’s proceedings
Summary: Session 7 of 8
On Saturday, March 8, 2025, the members of the Victoria-Saanich Citizens’ Assembly reconvened at Sherri Bell Hall at Camosun College for their seventh session together. Following a brief recap by Chair Peter MacLeod, the Assembly welcomed Jocelyn Jenkyns, City Manager of Victoria, and Susanne Thompson, the City’s Director of Finance to give a brief presentation. (Following the release of the technical report, both municipalities were invited to speak to the assembly to provide any additional perspectives and address any disagreements with the findings of the report. Victoria opted to take up this opportunity while Saanich declined.)
MacLeod and Assembly Lead Facilitator Richard Johnson next led the members in a review of the Public Meetings, Public Submissions, and the response to the Assembly’s written questions provided by the Agricultural Land Commission.
The members then rearranged the room to form one circle and MacLeod invited each member to take a few minutes to share the story of how they have arrived at their current perspective on the question of amalgamation and why they believed this perspective is right for their community. Over the course of more than two hours of thoughtful discussion and reflection, a rough consensus began to emerge concerning the final recommendation of the Assembly.
After lunch, the members then spent the bulk of the afternoon working with their colleagues in small groups to draft considerations, clarifications, or further recommendations in support of their working consensus. The work of drafting their report will continue at their eighth and final session in April, and the final report will be delivered to councils by July 2025.
Read the Assembly invitation letter sent to 10,000 randomly selected homes.
Click here to download a sample of the invitation (PDF).
Check out the Information Session Video
Highlights of the Assembly process:
In June 2024, 48 members from Saanich and Victoria were randomly selected via Civic Lottery to serve on the Assembly, ensuring fair representation of the municipalities' demographic diversity.
From September 2024 to April 2025, the Assembly will meet for eight Saturdays to learn, deliberate, and make recommendations on the future of Victoria and Saanich.
The Assembly will explore amalgamation's costs, benefits, and disadvantages, producing a final public report for both councils.
Four Public Roundtable meetings will allow broader public interaction with Assembly members and input on the process.
Download the slides from the first public information session.
Frequently Asked Questions
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The Victoria-Saanich Citizens’ Assembly on Municipal Amalgamation is a unique exercise in municipal democracy in which residents will consider the costs, benefits and disadvantages of an amalgamation of the City of Victoria and the District of Saanich. The Assembly is an arms-length process commissioned by the elected councils of both municipalities, and supported by a public referendum which took place in 2018. Forty-eight (48) randomly selected area residents will serve on the Assembly, meeting over eight day-long sessions between September 2024 and April 2025. Members of the public will be invited to make submissions to the Assembly and attend special roundtable meetings. The Assembly will submit its final report to both councils in July 2025.
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As they grow, municipalities routinely consider whether they should merge with neighbouring jurisdictions. This process, called amalgamation, means combining the governments, geographic boundaries, municipal services and identities of two or more jurisdictions. Over the past decade, the City of Victoria and District of Saanich have considered whether they should amalgamate and become one municipality. During the 2018 General and Local School Board Elections, both municipalities asked a “Community Opinion Question" to gauge public support to establish a Citizens’ Assembly to study the issue and reach consensus on a recommendation. Voters supported this proposal and now, after being delayed by the pandemic, the Citizens’ Assembly is proceeding.