ANNAPOLIS ROYAL, NS - Plebiscites May 8 in two Annapolis County districts will decide if those parts of the county want to go ‘wet’ and subsequently open the door for a brewery in the Clarence area and a cidery in Tupperville.
Elections Nova Scotia called the plebiscites after requests were received by the Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation from the municipality, said Andy LeBlanc with Election Nova Scotia. Annapolis County council had passed motions to send letters to the province to support plebiscite requests from individuals in both districts seeking to start businesses involving the production of alcohol.
District 3 includes an area from Upper Granville to Clarence East along Highway 101, and north to the Bay of Fundy from Hampton to Outram. Voting in that plebiscite will be at the Royal Canadian Legion in Bridgetown.
District 4 includes the communities of Moschelle, Round Hill, and Tupperville on the south side of the Annapolis River, and Granville Ferry, Granville Centre, and Bellisle on the north side. It also includes Parkers Cove and Youngs Cove. Voting for that plebiscite is at the Round Hill Hall and the Granville Ferry Community Hall.
Eligible residents in those areas will vote to either keep their districts ‘dry’ or change the legal status to ‘wet.’ LeBlanc said in each plebiscite, voters 19 years old and older as of May 8, will select Yes or No to the question, “Are you in favour of the sale of liquor in your municipality in accordance with the Liquor Control Act?”
LeBlanc said a group of people in favour of or opposed to the plebiscite question may nominate one or more persons to act as agent for the group at each polling station in the plebiscite area. Those interested must contact the returning officer.
If you are at least 19 years of age on the date of the plebiscite, but not currently on the List of Electors, you may be added to the list during revision, at the Advance Polls or at the polls on May 8.
The revising officer will be sitting to hear applications for additions and changes to the list of electors: Thursday April 26, and Friday April 27, 2018, from 10 a.m. to noon, 2 to 4 p.m., and 6 to 8 p.m. at Royal Canadian Legion 20 Jeffrey St., Bridgetown.
Advance polls are Friday, May 4, and Saturday, May 5 from noon to 8 p.m. Voters are asked to go to polls that matches their map area.
The last liquor plebiscite in Annapolis County was conducted in the Lequille area in 2014 with a 32.7 per cent voter turnout. Of 376 eligible voters, 123 went to the polls with 88 people voting in the affirmative and 34 being opposed. In 2010 a plebiscite in the Village of Lawrencetown was overwhelmingly in favour of going wet, and in 2007 in Springfield it was 105 to 34 in favour.
Information about the plebiscites is available online at electionsnovascotia.ca and results will be released on the website following the vote May 8.
