Saturday residents of Salt Spring Island will head to the polls to vote on whether to incorporate as a municipality.
A similar referendum in 2002 was rejected. But Wayne McIntyre, CRD director for the area, says there seemed to be a lot of traction in the community to take another look at it:
"There's quite a few different reasons for that. We take a look at the interests and considering the possibility of incorporation are lack of coordination between the various agencies, heavy demand on a small number of officials, and decision-making by represenatives who do not live on Salt Spring Island."
Turnout at the first advance poll was impressive, with 18-hundred people casting ballots. There are 10,600 permanent residents of Salt Spring Island.
If they vote to incorporate the island will become the 14th municipality in the CRD, and residents would be represented by a 7-member, locally-elected municipal council.