BARRHEAD - Town of Barrhead residents have voted in favour of enacting the Barrhead Neutral Space Bylaw by a vote of 653 to 492, with 1,145 ballots being counted. The municipality based on 2021 census data estimates that between 3,400 and 3,500 residents were eligible to vote in the plebiscite.
The results are unofficial and have to be certified.
The Town of Barrhead announced the results of the vote at about shortly after 10 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 2.
The bylaw, will essentially prohibit "decorative crosswalks" on town roadways, restricting them to the conventional white stripes bordered by two white lines and the Canadian, provincial and Town of Barrhead flags from flying on municipally-owned facilities, property and flagpoles.
The bylaw would also prohibit decorations on town crosswalks or the display of flags supporting political, social, or religious movements or commercial entities.
The drafting of the bylaw and the subsequent plebiscite became necessary after Barrhead Neutrality presented the municipality with a petition to pressure councillors into drafting and enacting the bylaw or to force a plebiscite on the said bylaw.
To be a valid petition under the Municipal Government Act (MGA), 10 per cent of the town's population needed to sign the petition. Alberta Municipal Affairs listed the town's 2023 population at 4,320, meaning the petition needed 432 signatures.
The Barrhead Neutrality petition had 851 signatures, 712 of which were considered valid.
Councillors gave first reading to the bylaw at a special Sept. 30th council meeting.
Under the Municipal Government Act, councillors had until Dec. 29 to enact the bylaw or send it to a referendum or plebiscite.
On Oct. 8, the council decided to let residents decide whether the municipality should enact the bylaw, selecting Dec. 2 for the vote. Advanced votes were held on Nov. 20 and 28.
Two of Barrhead Neutrality's founders, Ard Doornboss and Jonathan Warkentin, said they launched the petition after the councillors approved the Decorative Crosswalk Policy in mid-May.
"The policy aims to enhance Barrhead's landscape and make the town more vibrant and colourful. We are not against that," Doornboss told the Barrhead Leader this spring.
However, Doornboss added that he did not believe beautification was the council's true purpose for the policy.
"We believe crosswalks should be crosswalks and public spaces, public spaces," he said.
More to come.
Barry Kerton, TownandCountryToday.com
