When residents in Sechelt cast their vote for council this Saturday, Nov. 19 they will also have their say on Target Marine.
Included in the bottom right hand corner of the election ballot is the referendum question that reads "Are you in favour of District of Sechelt council adopting bylaws to permit the processing of sturgeon and sturgeon roe, on site at 7333 Sechelt Inlet Road, pursuant to the application submitted by Target Marine Hatcheries Ltd.?"
A simple yes or no response is asked of the electorate.
The non-binding referendum question was added to the ballot at the request of Sechelt council in order to save some money and gauge the public's wishes on how to proceed with Target's application to process sturgeon for caviar on site.
Director of corporate services Jo-Anne Frank said the cost of the referendum is minimal because the question can piggyback on the election ballot.
She said the only costs tied to the referendum are the costs of advertising the question in the newspaper and on the radio.
The referendum is non-binding due to the section of legislation it falls under.
In this case, Frank said, the type of referendum falls under section 83 of the community charter.
It says, "A council may seek community opinion on a question that the council believes affects the municipality, by voting or any other process the council considers appropriate. The results of a process under this section are not binding on the council."
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