Image credit: Cariboo Regional District
Red Bluff Firehall Referendum

Residents in Quesnel Fringe Fire Protection Area to vote on borrowing $3.25 million for Red Bluff firehall

Aug 31, 2024 | 3:00 PM

QUESNEL, B.C. — Residents in the Quesnel Fringe Fire Protection Area will decide whether or not to borrow up to $3.25 million to build a new firehall in Red Bluff.

If approved, the Cariboo Regional District (CRD) says it will borrow the money over a 30-year term to build the new fire hall south of Quesnel.

In a news release issued Friday (Aug. 30), the CRD says the Red Bluff Firehall was built in 1981 and allows the Quesnel Volunteer Fire Department to provide fire protection to properties in Red Bluff, Dragon Lake, Richbar and South Quesnel.

“Due to a much larger population, significant commercial and industrial developments, and changing firefighting standards, the existing firehall no longer meets the needs of the Quesnel Volunteer Fire Department and must either be retrofitted or replaced,” the CRD states.

The CRD says the modern firehall in Red Bluff would allow the Quesnel Volunteer Fire Department to train personnel, maintain resources to effectively respond to emergencies, safeguard lives and protect properties.

If tapproved, residential property taxes would increase by $21.40 per $100,000 of assessed value, based on 2024 assessment values. The CRD says the average home in the Quesnel Fringe Fire Protection Area would increase by $70.62 per year based on a $330,000 assed value.

A public information meeting will be held at École Red Bluff Lhtako Elementary on Oct. 9, 2024, from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Residents can cast their ballots during advanced voting at the Quesnel & District Arts & Recreation Centre on Oct. 16 and 21. The last opportunity to cast a vote is on general voting day at École Red Bluff Lhtako Elementary on Oct. 26. Mail ballot packages are also available by request any time between Sept. 23 and 4:00 p.m. on Oct. 24.

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