Issue 10
| October 2022
SPECIAL LOCAL GOVERNMENT ELECTION ISSUE Polling Stations General Voting Day: October 15
Area B Open 12pm to 8pm • • • • • •
Buick Creek Community Hall Cecil Lake Recreation Hall Clearview Arena Montney Community Hall Prespatou Elementary School Wonowon Elementary School
Area C Open 8am to 8pm •
Charlie Lake Elementary School
Area D Open 12pm to 8pm • • • •
Cutbank Hall Doe River Community Hall Kelly Lake Community Hall Tate Creek Community Centre
Area E Open 12pm to 8pm •
McLeod Elementary School
•
Moberly Community Hall
Municipalities Open 8am to 8pm •
Chetwynd District Office
•
Fort St. John Seniors Hall
•
Ovintiv Events Centre (Dawson Cr.)
•
Pouce Coupe Community Centre
•
Taylor Community Hall
•
Tumbler Ridge Community Centre
Next PRRD Board eetings:
Electors tasked with voting for two Electoral Area Directors and deciding the fate of five proposed service functions Once every four years, eligible electors across British Columbia head to the polls to cast their ballots for who will represent them in local government via Electoral Area Directors, Mayors, Councillors and School Board Trustees. In the Peace River region, that day comes once again on October 15. With the Advance Voting Opportunities on October 5 and 12 in the books, the General Voting Day on Saturday, October 15 is the last chance residents will get to have their say in this election. During the last local government election in 2018, all four of the current Electoral Area Directors were voted in by acclamation. The story is different in 2022, with three new candidates stepping forward to challenge the incumbents in Areas B and C. In Area B, replacing 34-year veteran Karen Goodings who is stepping down, will be either Jeff Kitt from Wonowon or Jordan Kealy from Cecil Lake. In Area C, Suzanne Haab from Baldonnel is vying for the position currently held by Board Chair, Brad Sperling. In Areas D and E, incumbents Leonard Hiebert and Dan Rose ran unopposed and will hold their seats for another term. A list of the candidates and their submitted biographies is available on the PRRD website, at prrd.bc.ca/getoutandvote. In addition to the choices for Electoral Area Director, the 2022 LGE is also unique in that five big questions in the way of proposed service bylaws, or “assent votes”, will be posed to eligible electors. The assent votes, if approved, will see tax requisitions for; sport and cultural events, a Dinosaur Museum, regional connectivity work, the Global Geopark and a financial contribution to the Fort St. John Public Library. With the exception of the FSJ library contribution, all four of the proposed service bylaws are votes that every eligible elector in the Peace River region can vote on regardless of where they live, on October 15. The Regional District is urging everyone to learn more about the assent votes by visiting prrd.bc.ca/getoutandvote. On the webpage, visitors will find a brief background on each proposed service and tax calculators. The calculators will return an estimated cost for each assent vote based on assessed property value (improvement value only, not land) from BC Assessment. The tax rates for the proposed service functions are as follows: • • • • •
Dinosaur Museum: $.0072 per $1000 FSJ Public Library: $.011 per $1000 Global Geopark: $.0072 per $1000 Regional Connectivity: $.0136 per $1000 Sport and Cultural Events: $.0072 per $1000
For example, if a resident has a property assessed at $350,000 that resident’s total tax increase would be $12.71 per year, if the proposed services receive majority elector approval via the election. To find your nearest polling station, learn more about the candiates or the assent votes, visit prrd.bc.ca/getoutandvote or call 250-784-3200. We hope to see you at the polls on Saturday, October 15!
October 13, 2022 10:00am | Facebook Live, Dawson Creek October 27, 2022 10:00am | Facebook Live, Fort St. John
To view board and committee meeting dates and agendas, visit: prrd.bc.ca/agendas-minutes/
Scan to learn more!