Who Speaks for this Region?

We have a problem that in a region of 320,000 people and only 25% of those people live in the municipality that gives the region its name. 

Calgary, Edmonton, Halifax, Ottawa, Winnipeg, Regina, Saskatoon, Kelowna and many other Canadian cities have a clear person who speaks for the region. These cities all benefit from having a single clear voice to speak for it.

We are known as Victoria, or Greater Victoria, and not as the CRD when we talk about things around here. In theory the mayor of Victoria should defacto speak for the region but Saanich represents more than 1/3 of the population - this is not just a small amount more than Victoria but a significant amount.

In the absence of of an amalgamated municipality it would make senes to have the head of the CRD be the voice of the region but with the current regional district model in BC the chair of a regional district is not the same as a mayor. A further problem is that the CRD reprsents areas that are not part of Greater Victoria.

Without clear leadership our region will continue to limit along going nowhere.