By Jeremy Deutsch/ Kamloops This Week
The recall campaign against Kamloops-North Thompson MLA Terry Lake will continue for at least the next couple of weeks, if not all the way to its deadline date.
That’s the word from campaign organizer Chad Moats after the recall effort gathered more than 1,000 signatures last week, bringing the total after two full weeks (through Sunday, Feb. 20) to 2,300 names.
“Things are picking up,” he said.
“We’re still going to go for at least a couple more weeks.”
In the first full week, the recall gathered about 1,100 signatures in the constituency.
It is expected the campaign will need to obtain about 2,000 signatures a week to succeed.
Moats said the recall will continue to focus on a door-to-door campaign, with 86 registered canvassers hitting the streets this week.
The first few days of the recall bid, which began on Feb. 3, were hampered by a major snowfall and a delay in obtaining the voters list.
Only 200 signatures were gathered after the first weekend, prompting Moats to suggest he might shut down the campaign if the numbers stayed low by the end of the month.
The talk of quitting seems to have fizzled, as Moats noted the recall group conducted a survey of 1,000 residents, with 60 per cent suggesting they would sign the petition.
He said it’s now up to organizers to find those people and get their signatures.
In Kamloops-North Thompson, registered canvassers have 60 days, until April 4, to obtain the signatures of at least 15,299 registered voters, which is 40 per cent of the 38,246 voters registered to vote in the May 12, 2009 provincial election.
Once the recall window has ended on April 4, Elections BC has 42 days from the date the petition pages are submitted to the chief electoral officer to verify those who signed the petition were entitled to do so.
If the recall campaign succeeds, Lake’s seat will become vacant and a byelection must be called within 90 days.
The recall office is located at 259 Tranquille Road and is open Mondays through Fridays from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 6 p.m.