Faubourg Lac Brome – ability of residents of adjacent zones to participate in a referendum

The Town of Brome Lake has published in The Record and in The Guide a set of rules and restrictions regarding the eligibility of residents of surrounding zones to present a petition which could then result in a referendum being called.

This procedure appears to be exceedingly cumbersome and in fact very confusing for the following reasons.

• It appears that only certain zones have enough persons to be eligible to present a petition.

• It is very unclear what process is available to zones not having enough people to present a petition.

• Exactly what is/are the points which such a petition should address as the reason to oppose.

Really the whole exercise as presented by the town appears to be directed at making any opposition very difficult for residents to establish. It is this deliberate attempt to follow the letter of the law regarding zones and referenda to throw off residents’ understanding of how to precipitate a referendum that is most disturbing.

For example, why can’t all the affected zones together have one clearly defined question proposed by the town as a basis upon which to sign or not sign to generate a referendum — this would be very clear and makes common sense.

I do not myself oppose the Faubourg project in general — but I am greatly disturbed by the obvious great effort by the town to make any formal opposition to the project in the form of a referendum as difficult as possible to achieve.

This does not auger well for the democratic rights of citizens to oppose projects or bylaws in the Town of Brome Lake.

It is the duty of the Town of Brome Lake and of its councilors to see that a complete and above all clear democratic process is assured to allow those who oppose the view of the council and mayor have a full and unobstructed opportunity to overturn proposed bylaws which they deem unacceptable.

Foster