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Metro Vancouver’s regional governance model functions well and is highly regarded, so there is no reason to amalgamate the region’s municipalities, according to an expert on municipal government.

“Relative to other places, the Metro Vancouver model is really very good,” said Andrew Sancton, a political science professor at Western University. “The regional district model, the Metro Vancouver model, has a lot of things going for it.”

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Sancton was in Vancouver on Tuesday for an event at Simon Fraser University that considered the pros and cons of amalgamating the nearly two dozen municipalities that make up Metro Vancouver into a “mega” or “alpha” city like Toronto, Ottawa or Montreal.

The B.C. government cannot force communities to amalgamate, and two or more municipalities can only amalgamate if more than 50 per cent of the voters in each are in favour.

Although it’s a perennial discussion in the region, Sancton noted that there is no concerted effort to amalgamate the region and he doesn’t see any virtue in doing so.