I am a L�villager!
11:41 a.m.
We also stopped by the L�ville curling rink to sign the referendum list regarding the demerging of Quebec municipalities which were victims of the PQ government�s attempts to unify rural areas (and do away with towns with bilingual status). About three years ago the P�quistes pushed through a whole bunch of forced municipal mergers, including Quebec City and its environs, the island of Montreal and surrounding cities, and Sh�brooke and its adjacent towns. We were not amused. We were especially not amused that our mayor made nary a peep about the whole business and was subsequently elected borough councillor. Just recently he has publicly claimed that he expressed concerns at the time of the merger, but to my memory he expressed nothing. Period.
Anyway, the new Liberal government campaigned on the demerger referendum ticket, and they are holding to their promise. If we get enough signatures on this petition, a new list will be drawn up and we will have the opportunity to actually vote in a referendum about demerging. Not that being part of greater Sh�brooke is a bad thing, it�s the principle of the matter. We were not consulted nor given a choice about the original amalgamation, had to fight to actually keep our name (L�ville, as opposed to �Borough No. 3�), and while we were assured that we would continue to keep our bilingual status plus our services (fire department, garbage pickup), the guys at the volunteer fire department have heard a different story--how they will have to unionize in a few years and then will no longer be volunteer--and the City of Sh�brooke is going to force us to buy these huge wheeled garbage bins which will then be its property and will not pick up our garbage unless it is placed in these receptacles. Give me a break.
So you can see why we are exercising our democratic right to make our views known. I do not normally get involved in politics on any level, but I feel strongly enough about my small town having been forced to become part of large city that I am willing to put my name to paper.
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