The Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce (GSCC) is the only registered campaigner for the 2014 Municipal Referendum addressing store hours.
The deadline to register as a campaigner for the referendum passed on Friday, September 12th at 2pm and no additional people or organizations registered to lobby for or against the issue. What does this mean?
“We were a bit surprised to find out no one registered to represent the “no” side of the deregulation argument since the opposition has been vocal in the past. Does this mean the opposition accepts the fact that Sudbury is ready for this,” says André Dumais, co-chair of the chamber’s deregulation working group.
The Municipal Election Act of 1996 requires those individuals, corporations or trade unions that plan to incur expenses while lobbying or campaigning in relation to a referendum question or questions on the ballot to file a Notice of Registration with the City Clerk for each question they intend to lobby on before incurring any expense no later than Nomination Day, September 12th, 2014.
The GSCC will be monitoring for any costs being incurred to present the “no” side to ensure a level of fairness in the debate.
“There might not be an official lobbyist for the “no” side, but we still welcome discussion and debate on the issue,” says John Querney, co-chair of the chamber’s deregulation working group. “We want citizens to have a clear understanding of both sides of the debate to be able to make an informed decision when it comes time to vote.”
Referendum 2014 will take place on October 27th, 2014. In order to receive a binding result, 50% of eligible voters must vote. If the majority of voters are in favour of the referendum questions but the voter turnout is less than 50%, it would then be up to the new council to decide whether to maintain the status-quo or change the by-law.
The GSCC’s campaign efforts will be encouraging people to vote on October 27th.
Visit our website for more information on the chamber’s deregulation campaign: https://sudburychamber.ca/4779-2/.
Follow us on twitter: https://twitter.com/SudburyStoreHrs and Facebook https://www.facebook.com/sudburystorehrs?ref_type=bookmark.
For more information on deregulation, please contact:
Melanie Smith Cacciotti
Marketing and Public Relations Manager
T: (705) 673-7133 e. 217
[email protected]
For media requests, please contact :
Joyce Mankarios
Policy and Communication Manager
T : (705) 673-7133 e. 224
[email protected]