Colwood and Saanich also recognized
Drum roll, please!
The civic watchdog Grumpy Taxpayer$ of Greater Victoria has awarded VicPD top honours in its 7th Annual Candy Cane Awards for providing an exemplary municipal service during extraordinarily difficult times.
“Maintaining public safety is a formidable challenge in the best of times,” says John Treleaven, chair of Grumpy Taxpayer$.
“But the last few years – with a pandemic, catch-and-release court issues, staffing challenges and a former council who were less than supportive – it has been particularly difficult.”
So Chief Cst. Del Manak and his staff – in what is essentially a regional police force – are to be commended for providing quality service, Treleaven says.
As for SECOND PLACE, Colwood staff will be reporting back to council in the new year with a bylaw to reverse recent changes to compensation and to review any recommendations from a compensation consultant.
“The original council decision is the latest example of how our fractured governance model increases costs for taxpayers,” says Treleaven.
“It’s refreshing to see Colwood take a sober, second look at the decision: This sends a powerful message across the region that taxpayers want a fair, logical and consistent process when wages are set.”
A lot of municipalities don’t even bother to follow the 44-page Council and Remuneration Compensation Guide (2019) prepared by the Union of British Columbia Municipalities, Treleaven says. Many municipalities also don’t bother to inform ratepayers about council compensation on their website.
THIRD PLACE honours are shared by Saanich and Colwood both recognized for the quality of their broadcasting of council meetings.
Both jurisdictions scored 19/20 out of all 13 municipalities in the region in an analysis by Capital News. The council videos were judged on how quickly tapes were made available, if they were easy to find, and of course, the quality of the audio and visual.
The CRD (13) broadcast, along with Metchosin (13) and Highlands (0), received the lowest rating with lots of room for improvements.
“For busy taxpayers a quality broadcast of council proceedings is critical these days,” says Treleaven.
“Public engagement is considered even more important now after voter turnout dropped significantly in the last municipal election. Local government and the CRD needs to up their game.”
READ MORE
Restoring public safety No. 1 regional issue, Grumpy Taxpayer$, Oct. 2021.
Collective action needed (to improve voter turnout), Grumpy Taxpayer$, Oct. 2022.
Available for Media Interviews:
John Treleaven, Chair, Grumpy Taxpayer$
treleavengroup@shaw.ca
250.656.7899, cell 250.588.7899
Stan Bartlett, Vice-chair, Grumpy Taxpayer$
grumpytaxpayers@gmail.com
250-477-9907