When a jurisdiction is considering borrowing to finance a major project they(the elected officials) are required to seek public approval. Two options are open to decide the question. Either holding a referendum or providing an alternate approval process. The referendum relies on the majority of the those who choose to vote to decide the question. Basically you are asking the electorate are you for or against borrowing the amount in question. Holding a referendum is time consuming and expensive.
If there is a perception of wide public support for the proposed borrowing a municipality can opt for an alternate approval process. In this option a petition is made available for the electorate to sign. Signing the petition is registered as not supporting the borrowing. If 10% of the electorate show their disapproval by signing the petition the question is defeated.
The recent defeat of the Lake Country request to borrow to finance their portion of the CN right of way purchase was a result of an alternate approval process. The Lake Country officials can be forgiven for thinking that given the widespread public enthusiasm for the project their choice of the least expensive way of getting public approval victory would be assured but when you are asking for only the no vote to show up there can be problem. There may have also been time constraints facing the Lake Country Council with regards to conducting the less risky a referendum. Apparently there was some misinformation abroad that influenced many to sign the petition.
Nevertheless I remain puzzled at the depth of the opposition in Lake Country to this project . It makes one wonder if there is something else going on. In this case the tail has certainly wagged the dog and put in jeopardy one of the most visionary and exciting initiatives to come along in a long while . I sincerely hope that a way can be found to remove this road block for this most worthy project.
Cheers Shawn Lee
A Vernon Taxpayer
1 comment:
The comments in the news article in The Morning Star by the Lake Country resident seem to point to an attitude of spite as being a sticking point for the project. People seem to be upset that they were not consulted more. Not sure what they had in mind. It is a shame that the pride of a few might be getting in the way of a legacy for many for generations. It would have meant an increase of $27 a year in property taxes for those in Lake Country. Seems a pittance. I wonder if the province could intercede? I feel this would be a draw to the region and perhaps in the interests of the province.
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