Qualicum Beach to ask public for views on more councillors

Qualicum Beach council is to ask citizens what they think about expanding its membership from five to seven even though the idea has been soundly defeated twice before.

Citizens can voice their opinions in a Feb. 9 Zoom call during the town’s committee of the whole meeting.

Council shrank to just three members last year after Coun. Robert Filmer took a twomonth medical leave of absence starting in mid-December 2020. Former councillor Adam Walker left council when he won the race to represent Parksville Qualicum in the provincial election.

That left Mayor Brian Wiese and councillors Scott Harrison and Teunis Westbroek at the council table. Council subsequently went back to full strength after Filmer returned and Coun. Anne Skipsey was elected in May to replace Walker.

Council has voted to provide residents with information materials on expanding its numbers, before the February meeting.

City hall has the option of passing a bylaw to increase its size or asking the public what it wants and could do so through a referendum at election time.

Voters rejected boosting the number of councillors in 2008, when 76 per cent were opposed, and again in 2014, when 70 per cent were opposed.

Council agreed to wait to hear public input in February before considering options.

Harrison favours asking citizens the question during the Oct. 15 municipal election.

It is “necessary and appropriate” to provide voters with information prior to the election, he said. If voters approved, the town could hold a by-election to fill two seats.

Skipsey supports a larger council saying: “We saw the vulnerability of a five-person council per this term and that [the three members] was the minimum permissible.”

A larger council would better represent the community, she said.

Additional councillors may increase the opportunities for working people to run for council because responsibilities would be distributed amongst more individuals, a staff report said.

Qualicum Beach may also benefit from broader perspectives that a larger, more diverse group could provide, it said.

As well, people might have greater access to elected officials and voters could see more choice on ballots, the report said.

Skipsey suggested that if two more council members were added, the cost of their pay could be split among six councillors rather than four.

Filmer opposed the idea of reducing councillors’ remuneration, saying early on in this council’s term it was a leader in moving to a living wage for members.

Qualicum Beach has about 9,000 residents.

It isn’t alone in looking at increasing council size. View Royal, with a population of 11,829, is considering adding two more councillors to bring its five-member council to seven as the community’s population grows.

When it comes to other nearby councils, Ladysmith, population 8,537, has a sevenmember council, as does Parksville, population 12,514.