Councillors are currently elected from the community at large with the six people receiving the most votes being selected. The present method originated in the distant past when Squamish was a small village. Elected officials could easily keep up with all the local issues. Expansion to include Garibaldi and Brackendale has widened the views and opinions on all issues. Councillors are no longer in close touch with all neighbourhoods, and this gap will widen as our population increases.
None of our neighbourhoods has a specific councilor to access. As a result, almost all suggestions and complaints go directly to municipal staff. Councillors hear about issues from the staff since residents do not know how else to voice their concerns. This is contrary to the very basic principle of an elected democracy. It is our right to have effective elected representation. In order to have effective representation, we need a direct link to our elected officials. “Excellence in governance,” a quote from our Official Community Plan (OCP), can best be met by democratic representation on a neighbourhood basis.
Councillors need:
• To represent specific districts/neighbourhoods
• To represent local interests
• To advocate on your behalf
• To understand your concerns
Councillors must have sufficient connection with the geographical area to be effective representatives. This does not occur when they are elected at large and not assigned to a specific neighbourhood. There needs to be a single effective representative from each geographical area.
The neighbourhoods need to have parity of voting powers, which means that population numbers should be equal or nearly so. Boundaries need to be familiar and should allow for growth and population shifts. Our municipality is already divided along familiar lines: Downtown, Valleycliffe, Dentville/North Yards, Garibaldi, Highlands and Brackendale.
B.C. Local Government Act, article 36.1 (2) gives council the authority to have councillors elected on a neighborhood basis. Article 36.1 (3) then states that council must set the geographic area of these neighbourhoods and assign current councillors to a specific area until next election. Our council only needs to pass a bylaw to accomplish true democratic representation
This proposal could, and should, be included in the November municipal election.
James Gracie
Squamish
