Incorporation
Some people support the idea of incorporation as a way to have more of a say in local services, while others feel it would be too expensive. The incorporation debate has been ongoing for many years. When last voted on in 1999, the matter was narrowly rejected by the population (see Incorporation Update – 1999). Obviously, to make informed decisions, we will need another feasibility study with the financial costs and all the potential up and down sides made clear. Would incorporation include all three communities (Middlepoint, Pender, Egmont)? What do you think and why?
2 Comments
Maggi
I support the idea of incorporation in the Pender Harbour area as it would give us a voice and a degree of control over our local services. I think the SCRD does a very poor job generally and only considers the residents of Sechelt and Gibsons in their decision making. There are quite a number of high end homes in this area paying large amounts of taxes each year yet have no input or say on where those tax dollars go. With a very small resident population in the past I agree that incorporation might not have been the way to go due to expense but this is changing now and the population is growing and incorporation should be re-evaluated.
Peter Robson
There seems to be general interest in revisiting incorporation for our area. Unfortunately, when the topic was brought up at our Oct 22, 2023 Town Hall meeting, no one stepped forward to take the lead on this project. PHARA itself does not have the time or people to take this on and unless a champion steps up, it will be idled.