Objection mounting to amalgamation

Members of the Rural Coalition of P.E.I. met in Georgetown recently to prepare the first submission of objection forms to the Island Regulatory and Appeals Commission (IRAC).

The objection forms, which are pertaining to the Municipal Government Act, are being filed in response to the Three Rivers amalgamation proposal posted by IRAC on April 19. It gave individual Islanders and municipalities targeted by the amalgamation 30 days from the date of posting to file an objection.

In a media release, Sylvia Teasdale, coalition spokeswoman, said the coalition has encouraged Islanders to fill out objection forms because if the government succeeds with its Three Rivers plan, the rest of the Island will soon face the same fate. The government has made it clear that its objective is to divide the province into 20-26 municipalities.

These new municipalities will incorporate all rural areas into their boundaries.

It is anticipated that more than 1,500 objection forms would have been filed at IRAC by the May 22 deadline.

In addition to the individual objections, two municipalities which voted no to amalgamation, namely Montague and Georgetown, have filed official objections.

The National Farmers Union filed an objection and encouraged its members to do the same.

Seniors and low-income families will be affected by the increased taxes which are inevitable in these amalgamations, says Teasdale.

“What will the government do about that?” asked Teasdale.

Objection forms were delivered to IRAC on May 18 and May 22 by members of the Rural Coalition of P.E.I.

SUBMITTED PHOTO Eldon King, Stacy Toms, Lucy Robbins and Sylvia Teasdale are some of the members of the Rural Coalition of P.E.I. who worked to ensure people had a chance to have their say by signing an objection form regarding proposed amalgamation in Three Rivers.