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RDN Area A looking to possible future as a municipality

The Regional District of Nanaimo’s Area A is ready to consider municipal status, and they could get the chance to vote on it next year.

Area A Director Alec McPherson says he’s hearing from more and more people who want direct control over what happens in their community.

He says the recent decision to close 3  schools in the area is an interesting example. Because Ladysmith is a municipality, it was consulted. But Area A wasn’t, even though the decision will have huge implications there.

McPherson also says Area A has grown to the point where being a municipality is practical. “Area A has 7,200 residents and we have a very well developed industrial (tax) base as well as a residential base,” he explains, “That’s part of what they look at within the provincial government is that you’ve got a real mixed-use tax base.”

They’re working right now on getting 40-thousand dollars from the province to launch a governance restructuring study.

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That’s step one. Depending on how that study goes the next step could be a referendum on the idea as early as November of 2014.

 

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