municipal politics Victoria – Grumpy Taxpayer$ of Greater Victoria

Province must pay for policing protests

Team Grumpy Taxpayers — Wed, 22 Sep 2021 22:13:14 +0000

CFAX Interview with Host Adam Sterling, Sept. 22, 2021

Annual VicPD grant of $50,000 insufficient

City of Victoria and Esquimalt taxpayers are unfairly picking up most of the bills for policing an increasing number of political protests at the Legislature grounds and precinct.

In 2017, VicPD managed 14 protests, but in 2020, they managed an unprecedented 66, according to VicPD sources. Protests at the Legislature have been a weekly, sometimes daily event again this year.

The BC Legislature provides just $50,000 annually to help VicPD offset costs of policing the Legislature grounds and precinct.

“Municipal property taxation should be fair,” says John Treleavan, chair of Grumpy Taxpayer$, “It strikes us as unfair that the lion’s share of policing frequent Legislature protests is paid for only by the Victoria and Esquimalt municipal taxpayer.”

When Chief Del Manak was assaulted Sept. 18 the Capital News reported more than 20 officers responded to the incident. Earlier this year the residential schools backlash resulted in frequent demonstrations requiring additional VicPD presence.

“At a time when police budgets and workload are under pressure it’s not reasonable that Victoria and Esquimalt taxpayers pick up most of the cost of policing for an anti-vaxx demonstration and a memorial for Chantal Moore.”

Protests are becoming more frequent, well organized and well funded, on every imaginable social and political issue, and require more resources to manage properly. Protests often spill over to downtown Victoria itself and involve road or bridge blockades.

As a result of the lengthy Wet’suwet’en protests on the grounds of the Legislature last year, VicPD made a special request for compensation and was reimbursed $186,000 by the Legislature.

Isn’t it time the province strike an agreement with VicPD and the taxpayers of the City of Victoria and Esquimalt to automatically reimburse all expenses for policing protests? says Treleaven.

READ MORE:

Police chief assaulted during event to remember Island woman killed in N.B., Times Colonist, Sept. 19, 2021.

5 arrested near memorial after liquid poured on police chief, Capital News, Sept. 19, 2021.

VicPD provisional budget does not meet needs of the department: police chief, Times Colonist, Oct. 15, 2020.

Available for Media Interviews:

John Treleaven, Chair, Grumpy Taxpayer$

treleavengroup@shaw.ca

250.656.7899, cell 250.588.7899

Stan Bartlett, Past Chair, Grumpy Taxpayer$

grumpytaxpayers@gmail.com

250-477-9907

Will it sit on a dusty shelf? Report on elected officials conduct issues commended

Team Grumpy Taxpayers — Fri, 23 Apr 2021 15:00:46 +0000

Grumpy Taxpayer$ of Greater Victoria applauds the Working Group on Responsible Conduct (WGRC) for its creation of a resource to provide guidance on ways to prevent conduct issues by local elected officials, and how best to deal with them.

The 46-page Forging the Path to Responsible Conduct in Your Local Government is a critical resource for local governments, a joint initiative of the WGRC that included the Union of British Columbia Municipalities (UBCM), the Local Government Management Association of British Columbia, and the B.C. Ministry of Municipal Affairs.

“This is not a report that should sit on a shelf and gather dust,” says John Treleaven, chair of Grumpy Taxpayer$. “Good governance must include local elected officials holding themselves accountable for rare instances of bad behavior and damage to credibility.”

“It’s not good enough to say ‘bad conduct will be dealt with by voters sometime in the distance future.’ Bad conduct impacts the reputation of everyone and brings local government into disrepute. It also scares voters away from the polls at election time,” Treleaven says.

Of note, City of Victoria council is at an early stage of conducting a governance review, so we would urge them to embrace some of the suggestions in the guide.

The guide provides advice on fostering responsible conduct, maintaining good governance and resolving conduct issues for those who serve on Councils and Boards. It also includes considerations for local governments who wish to establish an enforcement process within a Code of Conduct.

We agree with Josie Osborne, Minister of Municipal Affairs who says, “This guide is an important step that will help local governments develop clear codes of conduct, along with effective enforcement practices and solid governance structures, so they can better serve the people who rely on their leadership.”

READ MORE:

Forging the Path to Responsible Conduct in Your Local Government , WGRC, Press Release, April 2021.

Councillor wants review on how Victoria is governed, Times Colonist, Oct. 22, 2020.

When councils misbehave, there are remedies, Grumpy Taxpayer$, Jan. 2021.

Municipal taxation without representation

Stan Bartlett — Fri, 30 Nov 2018 15:25:32 +0000

Thousands of permanent residents unable to vote in municipal election

The 2018 municipal election is behind us, but thousands of permanent residents in Greater Victoria are left wondering why they were unable to vote.

According to Fresh Voices, an advocacy group for immigrants and refugees, there are 60,000 permanent residents in Vancouver alone that were unable to vote. In the 2016 Census, Stats Canada reported almost 16,000 immigrants of varying ages living just in the Victoria Census Metropolitan Area of 81,655.

“Permanent residents are engaged,” says Whitey Mitchell, a board member with Grumpy Taxpayer$ and a permanent resident. We take an interest in what is going on and we have input to give as well as a diversity of experiences to offer. I chose to live here and make my life here and want to make this place even better for myself, my friends, and my children.”

Permanent residents have the right to get most social benefits that Canadian citizens receive, including health care coverage, to live, work or study anywhere in Canada, and receive protection under Canadian law and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. They must pay taxes – all municipal taxes including school, plus income tax – and respect all Canadian laws at the federal, provincial and municipal levels.

But until permanent residents apply for Canadian citizenship and get it – they can’t vote in any election.

Last spring the City of Vancouver council unanimously voted to extend municipal voting rights to permanent residents and is urging the province to change the laws. At the time the Vancouver Sun sounded a note of caution, describing council’s actions as a “feel-good initiative” and for the province to consider carefully “the serious implications” of any change.

According to Fresh Voices, more than 45 countries including Australia, Denmark, New Zealand and seven jurisdictions in the U.S. allow permanent residents to vote in municipal elections. Eleven jurisdictions in Canada are looking at the change.

Take time to consider extending the right to vote,Vancouver Sun Editorial, Apr. 20, 2018.

Immigrants in Victoria, The Canadian Magazine of Immigration, June, 2016.

Census Profile of Victoria CMA 2016, Stats Canada