Urgent news update: New start time for hearings

Duncan and Victoria hearings to start early

Due to the very high level of interest from presenters, it was announced today that the public hearing in Duncan of the Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform taking place on Tuesday, June 8, will now begin early.

Presentations by the public will start at 4pm – more than two hours earlier than previously scheduled – in order to allow Assembly members to hear from as many people in Duncan and southern Vancouver Island as possible.

The hearing takes place at the Travelodge Silver Bridge, 140 Trans Canada Highway. It is scheduled to run until 9:30pm or later if necessary, with a break from 5:30pm-6:30pm.

The Duncan hearing is the second announced for this week that will begin early. The hearing in Victoria on Thursday, June 10, will also start at 4pm at the Harbour Towers Hotel (Salon B), 345 Quebec Street, Victoria, running until 9:30pm or later if necessary, with a break from 5:30pm-6:30pm.

Wednesday’s (June 9) meeting in Port Alberni, at Hansen Hall, 3940 Johnston Road, will run from 6:30pm-9:30pm, as previously announced.
Each hearing will begin with presentations from those who have pre-registered with the Assembly. After the formal presentations, the Assembly hopes to engage all attendees in an open dialogue. The hearings are part of a schedule of 50 taking place in BC during May and June.

Assembly members must decide by December 15 if they will propose a change to BC’s current system of translating votes into seats in the Legislature. If they recommend a change, it will be the subject of a referendum for all voters in the May 2005 provincial election. Any change approved by the voters would take effect with the 2009 BC election.