We welcome the news this week that the District of North Vancouver is making a new attempt at amalgamating with the City of North Vancouver. There is never a bad time to re-examine why there are two North Vancouvers to begin with and whether there should be reunification.
We’d say the bizarre, zigzagging border that divides our community seems arbitrary, but it isn’t. In 1907, it was drawn around the land holdings of property speculators who, conveniently, were also on the council of the day. They voted themselves a new municipality that would be cheaper to develop and service than the sprawling district.
City council members have so far been leery or outright closed-minded when it comes to talk of amalgamation. The perception has always been that the city has everything to lose and nothing to gain. A lot has changed and some myths have lingered too long. Today, district homeowners pay a lower tax rate than city ones.
But this isn’t about money, or at least it shouldn’t be. This is about an opportunity to correct a mistake of history and return to common sense in our governance, something we’ve been denied for 111 years. Whether it’s bylaws, planning, transportation or dog licences, we challenge anyone to explain why having two municipalities making decisions about the same chunk of land serves the residents better.
When the time comes, we insist the city approach this amalgamation study in earnest and with an open mind. North Vancouverites already share rec centres, traffic woes and a hospital. The demarcation doesn’t separate two municipalities from each other; it separates all of us from reason.
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