Does the Saanich or Victoria taxpayer pay more?
Residential tax rates in Saanich are inching closer to those in Victoria, and are significantly higher for businesses, according to 2020 figures released by the municipalities. “Property taxes are in…
How will councils deal with the cash crunch?
UPDATE –Trudeau offers $14B to provinces for anti-COVID-19 efforts through rest of year: Making a difference in municipalities is a pricey proposition, Canadian Press, June 6, 2020. Most municipalities enjoyed…
City urged to reallocate resources
Is the communications dept. bloated? In light of collapsed revenues and a shattered local economy, Grumpy Taxpayer$ is calling on Victoria mayor and council to reassess its financial priorities starting…
FEATURE: Public input on developments at risk
EDITOR’S NOTE: At a council meeting June 1, Langford council rescinded a April 6 motion to waive public hearings, and are now going to conduct electronic or phone-in hearings like…
Our new municipal economic reality
Revised property tax increases range from -10 to 6.9% A growing list of municipalities in Greater Victoria are moderating budgets – while remaining very reluctant to reduce staff or make…
Holding your mayor and council to account
Your municipal council has long found their executive chairs around the table and have been managing your municipality for a year-and-a-half or so. The 2018 municipal election resulted in a…
Greater Victoria deserves better governance
“Good governance has eight major characteristics. It is participatory, consensus oriented, accountable, transparent, responsive, effective and efficient, equitable and inclusive and follows the rule of law.” – The United Nations…
Ping pong and poets, or potholes and police
While the full social and economic cost of the wretched pandemic to Greater Victoria residents won’t be known for months, we already know it’s profoundly life-changing. Nearly 5.4 million Canadians…
Enter the twilight zone
Denial, delay or complete dysfunction? Grumpy Taxpayer$ believes that most of the 13 municipalities in Greater Victoria are living in their own expensive reality – a twilight zone – and…