‘Up in the air’

Unincorporated residents vote against Three Rivers amalgamation while Montague council holds off on committing

The map lines of a proposed new Kings County municipality are still hazy.

Unincorporated residents in three fire districts voted firmly against being involved in the Three Rivers proposal during a privately-sponsored plebiscite on Monday, while Montague council decided it wasn’t ready to fully commit to amalgamation.

Brian Harding, chairman of the Three Rivers steering committee, said councils in Lower Montague, Cardigan and Valleyfield will be discussing the issue and voting on whether to continue with the process early next month.

“Everything is up in the air,” said Harding. “Once we find out what the other incorporated communities are going to do, we’ll see which way the process is going to carry forward.”

Councils in Brudenell and Lorne Valley previously voted to continue with the process. Previous plebiscites saw Cardigan residents in favour of amalgamation while Lower Montague and Valleyfield residents were opposed.

None of those plebiscites saw a high turnout.

Montague, the largest community involved in the proposal, saw a turnout of 31.7 voters cast a ballot in a plebiscite late last year with nearly 73 per cent in favour of amalgamation.

However, most Montague councillors were not ready to commit on Monday night.

That doesn’t mean Montague has dropped out of the proposal like Georgetown, as representatives from the town remain on the steering committee.

Coun. Wayne Spin, one of the representatives, was the strongest supporter of moving ahead.

“The citizens of Montague have spoken. My theory is that we should lead by example,” said Spin.

Coun. Daphne Griffin, one of several councillors against moving ahead, said there were too many unanswered questions and requested that council meet with the steering committee.

“We have to be conscientious of the impact that amalgamation will have on our residents, community and our town staff, and I feel that this is a decision that will have a profound and lasting impact on our region. I want to be satisfied that I have exercised due diligence.”

Monday’s plebiscite for unincorporated residents received 1,250 votes, with 1,174 voting against amalgamation.

Sylvia Teasdale, one of the plebiscite organizers, said the goal was to give residents a voice.

She said the group, which is on Facebook as Unincorporated Islanders, now has a new mandate.

“My best guess is we’ll be looking to the government to take the three unincorporated areas out of the proposal,” she said.

Following the vote, representatives from the unincorporated Georgetown fire district sent a letter to the steering committee stating they would be withdrawing from the committee.

“The people voted, and they voted 95 per cent (against amalgamation),” said representative John Walsh. “My feeling is the people spoke, and there’s nothing there for us anymore.”

The issue has seen two major differing opinions, with some believing amalgamation would give the entire region a greater voice and more sustainability. Others believe rural areas would not be represented in the new municipality and have no voice in the process.

Harding noted that the unincorporated residents are currently represented only by their MLAs and the provincial government’s executive council.

“They want representation and they’ve voted against something that would have given them greater representation,” he said.

Teasdale said she feels a new municipality would see a concentration of power in the currently incorporated areas.

“Georgetown Royalty wouldn’t even qualify (for a representative on a new council) so that argument is facetious,” she said.