Saltair canvassers had no need to be pushy
Re: “People feeling pressured to sign Saltair petition?” (Citizen, Oct. 25)
We are two of the 12 volunteers who collected signatures on the petition for a referendum in Saltair. Between us, we collected 78 of the 628 signatures on the petition. We are mystified by Ms. MacTavish’s Oct. 25 report that some residents felt threatened, intimidated or pushed by canvassers. This certainly was not our experience.
More than 90 per cent of the residents we contacted enthusiastically signed the petition. Our biggest challenge was finding people at home. We were frequently thanked for doing what we were doing and can’t imagine who might have been upset. There was no apparent need to be pushy.
The other canvassers we spoke to had similar experiences. We don’t find this surprising. The building was purchased and repurposed using Saltair property tax and grant revenue without a referendum, building condition assessment, needs assessment or business plan. This issue has divided the community ever since the property was purchased in 2014. It was and still is hardly surprising most of the eligible voters in Saltair want this issue resolved by a referendum.
Gord Van Dyck and Wendy Thomson
Saltair