Join or not? Montague residents to vote on amalgamation

After details of the Three Rivers amalgamation proposal were released last week, the Town of Montague has announced it will hold a public vote on amalgamation. 

The proposal would see communities including Montague, Cardigan and Brudenell join together to create P.E.I.'s fourth largest municipality, with a population of at least 7,000 people. 

Richard Collins, mayor of the Town of Montague, said now that the Three Rivers steering committee's work on the proposal is coming to an end, it is time for the town to turn to its voters to decide whether Montague should become a part of the proposed municipality. 

"We're just celebrating our 100th birthday," Collins said. "We feel that now is the time for the voters of Montague to choose between keeping Montague as it is or moving into a brand new, unknown ground." 

Collins said voter turn out will also impact the weight this vote will have. If there is a voter turn out of 50 per cent or higher and the majority rules for one outcome or the other, the result of the vote will be binding, he added. 

Others seeking vote 

People from other communities within the proposed amalgamated area have also expressed their desire to vote on the issue, Collins said. 

Sylvia Teasdale, a resident of Burnt Point, an unincorporated area within the proposed amalgamated area, said she is starting a petition to try to secure a public vote on amalgamation for that community as well. 

"In the two unincorporated ares, we don't have any kind of vehicle like that to make our wishes known," Teasdale said.

The petition will be available for people to sign at the upcoming public information meetings regarding amalgamation and the vote, she added. 

Public meetings set

Public information meetings to explain the voting process will be held on Nov. 7 and 9, Collins said.  

The Town of Montague will also be holding a public meeting to discuss the details of the amalgamation proposal on Nov. 19 at 2 p.m. at the Montague Regional High School.

"We want to get the information out to the public," Collins said. "We want the public to have a close ear to what's going on and to be educated enough to make the right decision, at the right time to suit the population of the Town of Montague."

The Town of Montague will be sending enumerators door-to-door over the next two days to distribute information about the vote and public meetings, he added. 

The vote on amalgamation will take place at Montague Town Hall on Nov. 27 from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.  

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