Voters won't going to the polls to approve the District of Squamish's acquisition of a large parcel of waterfront land south of downtown Squamish.
At least 10 per cent of the total number of registered voters - 942 people - had to sign a counter-petition by 4 p.m. on Tuesday (July 6) to force the District to hold a referendum on the deal, which sees the province and BC Rail transfer the former Nexen lands and two adjoining parcels to the District for $3.
By the deadline, only 493 voters signed and submitted the counter petition forms.
"It has been deemed that the citizens support this purchase," said Trudy Coates, the District's director of administrative services, at the council meeting on Tuesday (July 6).
The counter-petition process was needed to give the community a chance to express opposition because the deal with the province and the rail company means Squamish will incur liabilities for more than five years.
The Squamish River Watershed Society (SRWS) started a campaign to encourage people to consider signing the counter-petition forms, but the effort didn't start to pick up steam until the end of June.
Cheryle Bass, the chair of the SRWS, late last month that if the counter-petition failed, the group will do what it can to make sure the DOS isn't held liable if there are environmental issues at the site.
The agreement indicates that the DOS will be liable for any contamination on the site or migrates from the lands, which formerly housed a chlor-alkali plant. If contamination is discovered on the site, the DOS is also obligated to monitor it and remediate it.
Well fewer than 10 per cent of the population signed the forms so the district will move ahead with its plans to begin developing the newly-acquired lands.
