Information Sent to Canso Residents
SERVICE N.S./MUNICIPAL RELATIONS--Information Sent to Canso Residents
Residents of Canso will soon be receiving information to help them decide the future of their town.
The information package from Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations includes a summary of the financial difficulty the town faces, a history of efforts to deal with those difficulties and estimates of tax rates under different scenarios.
"In my letter I am urging Canso residents to ask their town council for a plebiscite so residents can decide whether they want to remain a town or join the Municipality of Guysborough," Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations Minister Barry Barnet said today, Sept. 27. "So far, council has agreed to hold a plebiscite, but has delayed holding one. The residents of Canso must have the opportunity to vote on this issue.
"Whether they choose to remain a town or join Guysborough, that is their choice. However, it is important that they have the information so they can make an informed choice."
If Canso remains a town, it is estimated that its residential tax rate would have to increase by about 28 per cent next year to maintain current revenues. On a home assessed at $50,000, this would mean a tax bill of $1,486. If Canso joined Guysborough, taxes on that same home would be estimated to be $777.
"This is an emotional issue for the people of Canso," Mr. Barnet said. "They have been through some tough economic times, and the town's finances are related to that. But if we do nothing, the situation will only worsen, creating bigger problems for the ratepayers of Canso."
Canso, with a population of about 990, has a deficit of more than $700,000 and the lowest tax collection rate of any municipality.
In July, council had proposed a plebiscite. The minister agreed, and offered to pay for the vote. Since then council has delayed holding the vote, giving as its reason the need for more information.
"As I wrote in my letter to residents, the information they are asking for is impossible to provide at this stage," Mr. Barnet said. "The province cannot make commitments about the future status of town employees or about keeping the RCMP detachment in Canso.
"Whenever municipalities merged with each other in the past, for example the merger of Liverpool and Queens, these kinds of details were ironed out after the decision to merge. That these outcomes cannot be known until well after the plebiscite should not be used as a reason to delay the plebiscite."
Mr. Barnet said in his letter that regardless of what Canso residents decide, he and the government will continue to work in the best interests of Canso.