Elections BC

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 6, 2010

VICTORIA – Petition sheets for the initiative to end the harmonized sales tax (HST) will be issued today to the proponent, William Vander Zalm.  Registered canvassers have 90 days to collect the signatures of at least 10 percent of registered voters in each of the province’s 85 electoral districts.

In order to sign the petition, individuals must be registered on the provincial voters list as of April 6, 2010 and may only sign a petition sheet for the electoral district in which they are registered to vote at the time of signing.  Signed petition sheets must be returned by the proponent to Elections BC by Monday, July 5, 2010.  Elections BC will then determine whether there are sufficient signatures from each electoral district to proceed with verification. 

Elections BC has 42 days from the date the completed petition pages are submitted to the Chief Electoral Officer to verify that those who signed the petition were entitled to do so.  The proponent must file a financing report with the Chief Electoral Officer within 28 days of submitting the petition. 

If the petition has enough valid signatures and the legislated financing requirements are met by the proponent, the Chief Electoral Officer will send a copy of the initiative petition and the draft Bill to the Select Standing Committee on Legislative Initiatives. 

The Select Standing Committee must meet within 30 days of receiving the initiative petition and draft Bill.  Within 90 days of their first meeting, the Committee must either table a report recommending introduction of the Bill or refer the initiative petition and the Bill to the Chief Electoral Officer for an initiative vote.  The next scheduled date for an initiative vote is September 24, 2011. 

The Recall and Initiative Act came into force in 1995.  

- 30 - 

Contact:
Don Main
Communications Planning Officer
Elections BC
Phone: 250-387-1709
Email: Don.Main@elections.bc.ca
Website: www.elections.bc.ca

Elections BC is a non-partisan Office of the Legislature responsible for the administration of the Election Act, Recall and Initiative Act, and conduct of referenda under the Referendum Act.