A proposed new social services tax is dead after Roberts Creekers said an overwhelming "no" to the Roberts Creek Social Services Funding Service Establishing Bylaw. Out of about 2,000 voters in Roberts Creek, 832 filed "no" responses before the Nov. 10 deadline. Adrian Belshaw, regional director for Roberts Creek, said the "very strong" opposition came because people believed their taxes would go up if the bylaw passed.
"I take that as a sign I did not explain at all well what we were trying to do," said Belshaw. "The taxation issue was essentially irrelevant."
Instead of holding a referendum, the Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) used an alternative approval process requiring voters to file an official form at the SCRD office to register their opposition to the bylaw. Only 198 "no" responses, or 10 per cent of eligible voters, would have been enough to sink the bylaw.
The proposal for a new social services tax arose at the SCRD a year ago, as a result of concerns over how the provincial government's budget cuts were affecting local social services such as community schools and mental health services. After the municipalities of Sechelt and Gibsons decided not to take part in the new tax, other regional politicians also withdrew their support.
However, Belshaw decided the idea of a social services function had merit. He said the intent was to have the new social services function replace Roberts Creek's current participation in the regional grants-in-aid function. He said it would be similar to the District of Sechelt's decision to withdraw from the grants-in-aid function.
"A lot of the things we fund through grants-in-aid are things we fund consistently," said Belshaw. He believes grants-in-aid are intended more for one-time funding.
For year-to-year funding of ongoing services, Belshaw said, "It makes more sense to me to do it through a function you've established for the service."
