'5 years of struggle and arguing': IRAC hears little support for Three Rivers amalgamation

The Island Regulatory and Appeals Commission held a formal hearing in Montague Wednesday night on the Three Rivers amalgamation in eastern P.E.I.

The hearing was a place for residents to voice their opinion of the plan. Of the many in the large crowd who asked questions or gave comment, the majority were against the idea. One of the main complaints at the hearing was that the process did not have enough consultation with the people affected, especially in the unincorporated areas.

Terri Welsh of Riverton said that consultation should have started earlier.

"If the people who were putting this idea [forward] had done something as simple as an opinion poll to find out what kind of appetite there actually was in 2013, they might have found out that most of the people weren't interested and saved five years of struggle and arguing and tearing apart our communities," said Welsh.

Another opinion heard many times Wednesday night was the unfairness that taxes in the unincorporated areas would eventually go up. 

"There's a lot of people that I know in this province that is barely getting by as it is," said Glen MacDonald of Grandview 

"They'll pay their light bill one month and maybe their medication the next … people are on hard times in this province and this is not going to help. Increasing taxes is just going to create problems for them, where they're not going to get their tax bill paid."

Not all against 

There were only two who spoke in favour of the plan. Anne Van Donkersgoed, who lives in Valleyfield, said amalgamation could give residents better control of land use.

"I think with a larger community we'll have a larger voice," said Van Donkersgoed.

"I'm concerned about what's been happening in some of our areas and who's buying our land and whether our farmers have land to farm."

Brian Rector, a former councillor for Lower Montague, urged people to see the big picture.

"I am on the positive side for this because I see it as not an instant thing, benefiting the future and all the communities that are here so we can speak in one voice," he said 

"Rural strong will strengthen with this: one voice, I see it going forward and it's for the future."

Next Steps 

The proposal has gone through a lengthy process including two different proposals, the most recent done through mediation. The plan would see seven communities come together: — Brudenell, Cardigan, Georgetown, Lorne Valley, Lower Montague, Montague and Valleyfield — and the unincorporated areas in the Cardigan, Georgetown and Montague Fire Districts.

Representatives from IRAC said they will accept written submissions until the end of the week. IRAC has 45 days from Wednesday to submit its recommendation to the minister of communities.

That recommendation may not be a simple yes or no to the proposal in front of it. IRAC is free to create a new iteration or take parts from the document and form other recommendations from what they have heard from the public. 

After receiving the recommendation, the minister will make his own recommendation\ or take IRAC's to the executive council who will make the final decision as to what should happen.

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