A new survey confirms what many on the North Shore have long believed: In the hearts and minds of the vast majority, there is only one North Vancouver. The City and the District are just the governments that send them tax bills.
In a survey commissioned by the district, 87 per cent of North Vancouverites agreed the city and the district “should jointly investigate the true costs and benefits of amalgamation.”
This would be a huge undertaking, possibly taking years of work and it would require the full, good-faith participation by the city.
That the question had 91 per cent support in the district is no surprise. But having 82 per cent in favour in the city should turn heads.
It shows the obstinacy and bellicose rhetoric from city council chambers on the subject of amalgamation is, if the survey is to be believed, deeply out of step with the general public.
Yet today’s city council seems content to rest on the old and frankly tired arguments against amalgamation: that it would cost too much upfront and over the long term to be worthwhile, that there is nothing to be gained for current city residents.
We’ll never really know without a proper study into the true costs and benefits, which is all that’s being asked for.
City Mayor Darrell Mussatto accuses the district of playing politics with an election pending and in that regard, he is probably right.
But the survey provides equal-opportunity information for any potential candidates. Would-be mayors and council members in both North Vancouvers ignore this survey’s results at their own peril.
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