Residents who choose to sign the Johnson Street Bridge replacement project counter-petition form can access the online document today as the 45-day counter-petition process officially begins.  Through January 4th, some 6,400 signatures will be required to halt the borrowing of $42-million by the City of Victoria for the replacement of the Johnson Street Bridge.

The posted rules for the counter-petition form for resident electors are as follows:

• Must be of eligible voting age (18 years old)
• Must be a Canadian citizen
• Must have lived in British Columbia for at least 6 months prior to signing the form
• Must have lived in the City of Victoria for at least 30 days
• Not disqualified from voting in an election under the Local Government Act or any other enactment or otherwise disqualified by law from voting

Non-resident property owners are also eligible to sign the form.  The rules governing their participation are as follows:

• Not entitled to vote as a resident elector
• Have been a registered owner of property in the City of Victoria for at least 30 days before signing the counter-petition
• Acknowledge that only one parcel of property can be used in relation to signing this form as a non-resident property owner
• Have written consent of majority of registered owners of the one real property, which includes the individual signing, to sign the form
• The only persons who are registered owners of the real property are individuals who do not hold the property in trust for a corporation or another trust
• Not disqualified from voting in an election under the Local Government Act or any other enactment or otherwise disqualified by law from voting

However, would-be signers are urged to abide by two additional rules above and beyond eligibility requirements even though one of these rules has yet to be officially posted on the City of Victoria’s website.  This rule, according to the group who organized the Ellice homeless shelter counter-petition and had a number of forms rejected, is to print forms on laser printers to ensure that they are of high quality.  Inkjets and other printer types, such as faxed copies, may not be accepted.  The second rule is signed forms must not be faxed back to City Hall, as they can only be returned to City Hall in person or sent through the mail.  Faxed copies will be rejected upon receipt.

View and download the official Electoral Response Form – Alternative Approval Process for Loan Authorization Bylaw No. 09-057.   To stay up to date on the event surrounding the Johnson Street Bridge project, refer to VibrantVictoria.ca’s Johnson Street Bridge discussions in the Infrastructure sub-forum of the discussion forum.

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