Reuniting the District and City of North Vancouver
District Council is exploring the possibility of reuniting the District and City of North Vancouver under one central administration.
Residents of both municipalities enjoy amenities that make the North Shore one of the best places in the world to live: a safe community, clean air, and unparalleled access to the forests, ocean, and mountains.
At the same time, we face serious challenges.
As our community and region grow and change, traffic congestion has become a real barrier to maintaining our quality of life, and the high cost of living is making things harder for our most vulnerable citizens, reminding us daily that housing affordability threatens the very fabric of our community.
Now more than ever, we need strong local government to speak up for North Vancouver and tackle these challenges.
It’s time to investigate the costs and benefits of reunification, so that citizens can make a fully-informed, evidence-based decision about the issue for themselves.
Reasons for uniting the North Shore
Council believes that the citizens of North Vancouver deserve efficient and effective local government, and they may be better served through reunification.
Reuniting the North Shore makes sense for several reasons:
- More effective planning — Community planning and transportation cannot be managed as effectively by separate organizations as they could with one integrated system
- Artificial borders — North Shore residents already move freely between the two municipalities using services, roads and amenities in both communities
- A stronger voice — A unified North Vancouver will have a stronger, more cohesive voice at the regional table, and will be able to act strategically on funding opportunities for infrastructure investments from the province and federal government
Progress updates
Council has been gathering feedback from both City and District residents to learn more about how people feel about reuniting the two municipalities.
June 25, 2018 — Public engagement report back to Council
Council received the staff report with the results of the reunification public engagement, including the public opinion survey, and directed staff to return to its July 9 meeting with a proposed ballot question on the formation and funding of a Citizen’s Assembly to investigate the costs and benefits of reunification.
- Reunification public engagement results presentation
- Reunification public engagement results staff report to Council
- Reunification public opinion survey results report
May 1 to May 11, 2018 — Online survey
NRG Research Group conducted an online public opinion survey for both District and City residents. The survey asked for some demographic information (age group, postal code, etc.) and then explored residents' thoughts on amalgamation.
April 23 to May 1, 2018 — Phone survey
NRG Research Group conducted a public opinion survey by phone with residents of both the District and City, using methods that provided a statistically-relevant and demographically representative sample of the age groups that make up our community.
Learn more about random sampling from Pew Research (video)
Take a closer look at the issues
District staff have prepared several background reports that explore the experiences of other municipalities who have amalgamated (or plan to), and evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of a District/City amalgamation:
Merging Municipalities: Insights on North Vancouver Reunification
This report explores the reasons for, and benefits of, amalgamation, as well as drawbacks and other considerations. It draws some general conclusions, and evaluates current best practices for municipal amalgamation.
Municipal Mergers in BC: The Abbotsford-Matsqui Amalgamation
This report examines the amalgamation of Abbotsford and Matsqui in 1995, and discusses how it could serve as a model for the amalgamation of the City and District of North Vancouver.
Duncan-North Cowichan Amalgamation Study Review
This report evaluates the process that the municipalities of Duncan and North Cowichan have followed since they started discussing amalgamation in 2014, and serves, in some ways, as a useful case study for a City/District amalgamation.