Municipal taxation without representation
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…
Grumpy$ Media Award winner highlights tax exemptions
Series prompts action by Saanich 1st Annual Media Award winner highlights non-profit and church tax exemptions Journalist Wolf Depner of Saanich News is the winner of the 1st Annual Media…
Saanich’s crumbling infrastructure a priority
BY BRUCE AND LAURIE KENNEDY When newly-minted Mayor Fred Haynes and council sit down to plan priorities for the next four years, they must focus more on renewing the aging…
Improve municipal transparency by adopting best practices
While most people associate glass, ice or plastic, with the word ‘transparency,’ Grumpy Taxpayer$ think about easy and complete access to local government information. In our view, the money government…
** PINOCCHIO AWARD: Do Saanich taxpayers pay less per capita than the region?
“One (pleasing) data sheet from tonight’s Saanich Council meeting came from the 2018 KPMG Audit. It showed Saanich’s taxation per resident compared to the rest of the region. Historically, it…
ELECTION 2018: Infrastructure deficit of Victoria unknown
While residents now have a new bridge ($105 million plus), and are planning for a new Crystal Pool ($69.4 million), plus fire hall and emergency centre ($35.9 million), tax revenue…
OPINION: Just ignoring the issues doesn’t fix regional challenges
‘Just ignoring the issues doesn’t fix regional challenges,’ Times Colonist (Dec. 17, 2017), Response by Stan Bartlett to former MLA and CRD director Gary Holman column ‘Just being grumpy doesn’t…
COLUMN: Identity crisis at the CRD problematic for taxpayers
Editor’s Note: This column below appeared in the Times Colonist Nov. 17 and was responded to by Gary Holman, a former CRD director and MLA for Saanich North and the…
Service-sharing report pulls punches: Province urged to step into the ring with Dysfunction-by-the-Sea
Taxpayers feeling pick-pocketed by their municipalities aren’t likely to get quick relief or better services, now that the province released its study on integrating services and governance. The long-awaited Capital…