Peace River residents want to see an independent company owning and operating the Peace River Regional Airport.
That’s according to the results of a referendum held last week in which 82 percent of respondents said they would like to have a non-for-profit organization take over the airport.
The options and results are posted below:
133 votes (Approx. 82%) – Yes, I am in favour of having an independent non-profit organization with a commitment to preserving current services such as Air Ambulance and Forestry services owning and operating the Peace River Regional Airport.
30 votes (Approx. 18%) – No, I am not in favour of having an independent non-profit organization with a commitment to preserving current services such as Air Ambulance and Forestry services owning and operating the Peace River Regional Airport.
According to a document presented to council yesterday, of the approximately 5,400 eligible voters, only around 3.2 percent took the time to vote and share their opinions.
Mayor Tom Tarpey says the low voter turnout is not a surprise.
“The last time we had a by-election (in 2008), they only get approximately 400 people out,” says Tarpey.
“That’s a decision that affects every issue going on for a number of years. This is a specific issue and certainly not every town resident has a vested interest in the airport.”
Councillor, Byron Schamehorn, agrees with Tarpey.
“I think it is okay that we get the responses from the people that want us to know what’s on their minds,” points out Schamehorn.
“Those carry more weight than if we just rush everyone to vote in something just because it is up for them to vote for.”
Many referendum voters also left comments as well.
To see the document presented to council, click here.
– Kenny Trenton, Trending 55 Newsroom
