The wording for the plebiscite question on the Town of Westlock’s crosswalk flagpole bylaw 2023-14 has been set.
Councillors voted to pass the wording recommendation at the Jan. 22 regular council meeting and will present the plebiscite question to residents as follows:
Do you agree that: Only Federal, Provincial and Municipal flags may be flown on flagpoles on Town of Westlock municipal property, all crosswalks in the Town of Westlock must be the standard white striped pattern between two parallel white lines, and the existing rainbow coloured crosswalk in the Town of Westlock be removed.
Administration received a petition from a Westlock resident in September 2023 requesting that a bylaw be passed ensuring crosswalks and flags on public property remain neutral and adhere to several criteria. The Municipal Government Act requires that to be a valid petition, the petition must be signed by a minimum of 10 per cent of the municipality’s population. The Town of Westlock’s population is 4,921, meaning 492 signatures were required and the petition received more than the required number of signatures.
Town of Westlock CAO Simone Wiley, validated the petition on Oct. 30, 2023 and councillors passed first reading of the bylaw on Nov. 27th and set the date of the plebiscite for Feb. 22, 2024.
Section 44(1) of the Local Authorities Elections Act (LAEA) requires that council determine the wording to be used on the ballet and pass it by resolution.