08-05-2018, 10:41 AM
(08-05-2018, 10:16 AM)tomh009 Wrote:(08-05-2018, 09:27 AM)panamaniac Wrote: That is sobering. Were Kitchener and Waterloo any better?
Not by much: 36% in Waterloo and 31% in Kitchener. Municipal and regional elections rarely get a good turnout.
However, 50% is only required to make it binding. If 70% (for example) of the voters support it but turnout is low, it will be an advisory vote only (like Brexit!) but the council can still choose to follow its direction.
The CBC published a breakdown of voter turnout by area municipality in 2014: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kitchener-...-1.2815625 . In the region, the highest was Wilmot, with 40.6 percent turnout.
You are correct that if Cambridge does not get over 50% voter turnout then the referendum is not binding and that council still could take it into consideration. However, through personal communication with one of the City staff, it definitely sounds as if this will not be the case.