PRESS RELEASE
Langford Petition Group successfully obtains over 2250 signatures in 30 days, representing more than 10% of eligible voters, showing strong community support for a referendum on the municipality borrowing $25 million dollars.
Monday, February 11, 2008
Langford
For thirty days (January 12 to February 10, 2008) over 50 canvassers braved winter weather in Langford asking voters if they support a referendum on whether the municipality should borrow $25 million dollars on behalf of local developers to build a highway interchange project.
During that thirty days, over 2250 signatures were collected on the canvassers’ petition. This result is well in excess of the 10% threshold that would normally trigger a referendum, and was achieved despite winter weather that made canvassing a challenge.
Under provincial regulation, municipalities are normally legally required to put loans to referendum, or to at least allow a counter-petition which asks voters if they want a referendum. However, Langford Council has circumvented this public approval process, so canvassers chose to mimic the counter-petition process. The petition’s intent is to show the city of Langford and the province’s Inspector of Municipalities (which must approve Langford’s borrowing bylaw) what would have happened if Langford residents had been consulted by their civic government. Read the rest of this entry »
