Debate on the creation of a Metro Vancouver megacity would likely be contentious, according to the results of a new poll.
Mario Canseco, president of Research Co., said a poll conducted Nov. 14-16 found 42 per cent of Metro Vancouver residents thought amalgamation of all the region’s municipalities was a good idea, while 42 per cent considered it a bad idea.
The remaining 16 per cent were unsure.
“The creation of a megacity encompassing all of Metro Vancouver’s existing municipalities is a contentious proposal,” Canseco said.
City of Vancouver residents showed the highest level of support for the creation of an amalgamated Metro Vancouver, at 46 per cent.
The lowest support for a megacity came from Burnaby, New Westminster and the Tri-Cities at 32 per cent, followed by Richmond and Delta at 39 per cent.
Generally, support for amalgamation was much higher among younger people, with 47 per cent of respondents aged 18-54 supporting the idea, while 66 per cent of those aged 55 and over were opposed.
The Metro Vancouver Regional District comprises 21 municipalities, one electoral area and one treaty First Nation, each with its own governance.
Canseco said he conducted the survey of 1,501 adults in part because of debate over municipal cost-sharing for Metro Vancouver’s $4 billion wastewater treatment plant project.
“Also, it may be a question in the municipal election in Greater Victoria, so I thought it would be a good time to check the temperature in Metro Vancouver,” he said.
In the 2026 municipal election, residents of the District of Saanich and City of Victoria may be asked a referendum question on whether they support amalgamation.
The survey also asked about smaller amalgamations, and found 70 per cent of Metro Vancouver residents thought merging the Township of Langley with the City of Langley was a good idea.
Fifty-four per cent, meanwhile, viewed the merger of the City of Surrey and the City of White Rock in a positive light.
And 57 per cent thought it was a good idea to combine the City of North Vancouver, the District of North Vancouver, the District of West Vancouver, the Village of Lions Bay and Bowen Island Municipality into a single municipality.
