Daryl Chipman has lived in Blind Bay, British Columbia, for almost two decades. He says he loves the small rural community as it is and does not want to merge with the neighboring town of Sorrento.
“The communities as they were created were not designed or even intended to be a municipality,” Chipman told Doug Herbert of the CBC. “People just want to live their lives, not worry about excessive governance and higher taxes.”
Chipman and nearly 3,000 other residents of Blind Bay and Sorrento, both about 86 kilometers northeast of Kamloops, will be eligible to vote in referendum on April 30, organized by the Shushuap District of Columbia, and decide whether the two cities should be included as a municipality called the Sorrento-Blind Bay District.
The district also allows residents to go to the polls on Wednesday or vote by mail until election day. They must have lived or owned property in Blind Bay or Sorrento at least 30 days before the vote.
Establishment means higher taxes
Last month, the district board of directors unanimously approved the decision to hold a plebiscite after reviewing report from the establishment study it was awarded with the approval of the BC Ministry of Municipal Affairs in February 2019.
The latest census data show that the combined population of Blind Bay (1576) and Sorrento (1309) has jumped more than 10% in the last five years, compared with an increase of 12.6% over the same period in constituency C of the county. which both communities are currently part of.
Sorrento, British Columbia, has a population of 1,309, according to the latest census. (Doug Herbert / CBC)
Polling District Director Paul Demenok, who also monitors communities including Eagle Bay, Shuswap Lake Estates and Sunnybrae, said that if a majority of voters in the referendum supported the inclusion of Blind Bay and Sorrento, the district would nominate a mayor and six councilors. which may be the 162nd municipality of the province.
The report from the area study estimates that most homeowners in Blind Bay and Sorrento would pay somewhere between $ 300 and $ 600 more each year if included, due not only to increased services and higher police costs, but also the need to rent of space for a municipal hall and the need to create a long-term reserve for capital works projects.
More provincial subsidies
Demenok acknowledges that Sorrento-Blind Bay residents may see a higher tax bill, but asks them to see the positive side of being part of a new municipality that enjoys more autonomy than being unincorporated under regional area management.
“The biggest is… local decision-making and therefore better decisions because they are made by locals and not by people. [from the regional district] who do not live here, “he said.
Paul Demenok, director of District Columbia Shuswap District C, said the incorporated municipality could qualify for more provincial subsidies than a district district. (Doug Herbert / CBC)
Demenok says the new municipality could qualify for more provincial subsidies than constituencies, citing the inclusion of Clearwater, British Columbia, as a municipality in December 2007.
Clearwater County he says it received a total of $ 15.3 million in provincial subsidies in the 10 years since its establishment, which were spent on capital projects and job creation.
But Chipman says he and many other Blind Bay residents he spoke to are not impressed – they just want to be left alone to live their idyllic lives.
“People just want to live their lives, enjoy the golf course, enjoy the lake and everything,” he said. “I believe this area is simply not ready for inclusion at this time.”
How to vote
Preliminary voting will take place Wednesday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the regional office of 555 Harbourfront Drive NE in Salmon Arm and Shuswap Lake Estates Hall at 2405 Centennial Drive in Blind Bay.
The general vote will take place on April 30 from 8 am to 8 pm at the Sorrento Memorial Hall at 1150 Passchendaele Road and at the Blind Bay Memorial Hall at 2510 Blind Bay Road.
Ballot papers must be received by post from the district’s chief election officer in the district office no later than 8 pm on election day.
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