Skip to content

CRD records largest advance poll ever on fire protection

A third of eligible voters cast their ballots on the Cariboo Regional District Fire Protection Referendum in advance of regular polling.

A third of eligible voting residents took advantage of the advance polls for the Williams Lake Fringe Fire Protection Referendum which were held on Wednesday, Nov. 14 and Monday, Nov. 19. More than 500 people voted in advance.

“We’ve never seen that kind of turn out before in an advance poll,” said CRD chief administrative officer Janis Bell. “It shows that this is an important issue and people are not going to miss the opportunity to vote.”

Generally the CRD will see less than a third of the voters showing up for all of the voting opportunities, Bell said, adding if the count hits a third it’s considered a good turnout.

The regular voting day is this Saturday, Nov. 24. at the polling station located in the CRD’s Board Room, Suite D, 180 North Third Avenue in Williams Lake. Polls will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Residents who have not yet voted, and are eligible to participate in this referendum, are strongly encouraged to exercise their right to vote, said the CRD in a press release.

Resident electors will be required to produce two pieces of identification at the time of voting (at least one with your signature).  The identification must prove both your physical residential address and your identity.

A resident elector is someone who lives in the proposed service area and is 18 years of age or older on general voting day, is a Canadian citizen, has lived in BC for at least the last 6 months, has lived in the proposed service area for at least the last 30 days, and is not disqualified by law from voting.

Non-resident property electors must produce two pieces of identification (at least one with a signature) to prove identity. If you are a non-resident property owner, to ensure that you will be able to vote, please contact the Chief Election Officer or Deputy Chief Election Officer as there may be documentation requirements that need to be met prior to voting day.

A non-resident property elector is someone who owns property in the proposed service area, but does not live there.

Bell admitted she’s happy to see the turnout so far and said it’s encouraging.

“We know that people are aware of the issue and understand it enough to feel that they should go out and vote. We’ll see how many more people we get out on Saturday. It will be a record breaker for sure.”

 



Monica Lamb-Yorski

About the Author: Monica Lamb-Yorski

A B.C. gal, I was born in Alert Bay, raised in Nelson, graduated from the University of Winnipeg, and wrote my first-ever article for the Prince Rupert Daily News.
Read more