Referendum Information

Advance Voting

Wednesday, May 31, 2023  |  8 am to 8 pm

Quesnel City Hall
410 Kinchant Street

Monday, June 5, 2023  |  8 am to 8 pm

Quesnel City Hall
410 Kinchant Street

General Voting Day  

Saturday, June 10, 2023   |  8 am to 8 pm

Barlow Creek School  
816 Barkerville Highway

Bouchie Lake School 
2074 Blackwater Road

École Red Bluff Lhtako Elementary 
1533 Maple Drive

Quesnel City Hall
410 Kinchant Street

You may request a mail ballot as an alternative to appearing at a polling station to vote. You can request a mail ballot by completing required forms to request and register for a mail ballot. These forms will be available on May 16, 2023.

If you request a mail ballot, you will not be able to request a ballot at a polling station later.

Submit your completed mail ballot by June 9, 2023:

Mail or hand deliver
Williams Lake Regional District Office,  
Suite D - 180 North Third Avenue, 
Williams Lake, BC  V2G 2A4

Quesnel Regional District Office 
#102 - 410 Kinchant Street
Quesnel, BC V2J 7J5

Email
mailbox@cariboord.ca

Fax
1-250-392-2812

You can also deliver your completed mail ballot to the Chief Election Officer or delegate at any voting opportunity by no later than 8 pm on June 10, 2023.

Getting help marking your ballot

Voters can get help marking their ballot if they have a disability or difficulty reading or writing. Referendum officials are available to assist voters who otherwise would be unable to mark or read their ballot.

Voting place accessibility

All advance voting places and all general voting opportunities are wheelchair accessible. Voters who can’t enter a voting place, can vote outside the building (at the curb or in the parking lot). Eligible voters will need 2 pieces of ID, or be prepared to sign declarations for missing secondary ID.

Mail Ballot Voting

You may request a mail ballot as an alternative to appearing at a polling station to vote. More information will be provided at a later date.

For more information

Alice Johnston, Chief Election Officer
ajohnston@cariboord.ca
250-392-3351 or 1-800-665-1636

A referendum is like an election, except instead of voting for representatives, you will be voting to authorize the Cariboo Regional District to engage in an initiative – in this case, borrowing up to $35 million for the pool upgrade and increased taxation limit. For the initiative to succeed, more than half of the votes cast must be in favour of the initiative.

Voters are being asked to vote yes or no to borrowing up to $35 million for the pool upgrades, and increase the taxation limit for the service. For the assent voting process (referendum), voters in the sub-regional recreation taxation area will answer the following question with a yes or no response:

Are you in favour of the Cariboo Regional District adopting Bylaws 5421 & 5422, which will authorize the borrowing of up to $35 million over 25 years and increase the North Cariboo Recreation and Parks Service’s annual taxation limit to a maximum of the greater of $9 million or $2.8648/$1,000 of assessed value of land and improvements, to provide for the upgrade and renovation of the pool and amenities at the Quesnel Arts and Recreation Centre?

(Based on 2023 assessed values, the current residential tax rate for recreation services is $115/$100,000. The estimated cost to upgrade and operate the pool translates to an increase of approximately $75/$100,000. The new taxation limit for all recreation services of $9,000,000 translates to a residential tax rate of $230/$100,000 of the net taxable assessed value of land and improvements.)

Polling stations will be open on May 31, June 5, and June 10 from 8 am to 8 pm. Voters are able to choose from multiple locations and dates that are most convenient to them to cast their single ballot. If you are unable to attend a voting opportunity, you may qualify for a mail ballot.

Advance Voting

• Wednesday, May 31, 2023  |  8 am to 8 pm  |  Quesnel City Hall, 410 Kinchant Street
• Monday, June 5, 2023  |  8 am to 8 pm  |  Quesnel City Hall, 410 Kinchant Street

General Voting Day

Saturday, June 10, 2023   |  8 am to 8 pm

• Barlow Creek School, 816 Barkerville Highway
• Bouchie Lake School, 2074 Blackwater Road
• École Red Bluff Lhtako Elementary, 1533 Maple Drive
• Quesnel City Hall, 410 Kinchant Street

You can vote if you live or own property in the sub-regional recreation taxation area.

This area covers portions of electoral areas A, B, C and I and the City of Quesnel and includes the rural communities of Bouchie Lake, Barlow Creek, Ten Mile Lake/Moose Heights, Red Bluff and the West Fraser road area. View the map of the taxation area.

If you personally own property in the service area, and do not hold it in partnership with a corporate entity, then you may vote in the referendum as a “non-resident property elector”. You may only cast one vote, even if you own multiple properties.

In addition, for non-resident property electors, if more than one person is a registered owner of the property, only one of those individuals may, with the written consent of the majority of the owners, register as a non-resident property elector. IMPORTANT: To ensure that you will be able to vote, PLEASE CONTACT THE CHIEF OR DEPUTY CHIEF ELECTION OFFICER as there may be documentation requirements to be met prior to voting day.

Yes. If someone else votes as a non-resident property elector for a property that you are a joint owner of, and you own another property, you may cast a separate vote as a non-resident property elector because you own the second property.

No. You may only cast one vote, either as a resident or a non-resident property owner.  If you qualify as a resident voter, you must vote as a resident.

No. You are not able to cast a vote for a property which is owned by a corporate entity (corporation or partnership), even if you own the corporate entity. This is because businesses are not permitted to vote in any local government election, referendum, or alternative approval process.

If you are a resident: You will need to provide two pieces of identification, which together prove your name, residential address, and contains your signature. You may sign a solemn declaration if you are missing one piece of I.D. Valid identification includes a drivers licence, BC services card, utility bill, status card, property tax notice, I.C.B.C. bill/insurance, a credit card, social insurance card, or other form of I.D. accepted by the Chief Elections Officer.

If you are a non-resident property owner: You will also need to provide proof that you personally own the property you are voting on. This can be in the form of a Land Titles Certificate, property tax notice, or other proof of ownership document.