The Community Relocation Policy, which has been in place for many years, has been updated to address issues that have been identified during previous relocations. Under the updated policy, the decision to relocate rests with the full-time residents of a community.
Key changes under the policy include:
- The community vote threshold is lowered from 90 per cent to 75 per cent
- The definition of permanent resident is changed to:
- Set the timeframe to consider residency in the 365 days immediately preceding the relocation request date
- Provide greater clarity that individuals residing in Personal Care Homes or Retirement Homes do not qualify as permanent residents
- A statement is included to explicitly outline the consideration, where appropriate, by the Minister of Municipal and Provincial Affairs, of potential issues arising under section 15 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and the Human Rights Act, 2010
- The definition of commercial property owner is changed to include a 50 per cent threshold of operating activity within the 365 day period immediately preceding the relocation request date
- The Cost Benefit Analysis for a request will be calculated over a 20 year time-frame only, and will require substantial net savings to government in the order of $10 million for a community to be considered for relocation.
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“The updated Community Relocation Policy is readily available for any resident or community leader who may have an interest or questions about the process. The changes address issues raised during previous relocations and will work better for communities, residents and governments. We encourage any community contemplating relocation to contact the department.”
Honourable Krista Lynn Howell
Minister of Municipal and Provincial Affairs
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Learn more
Community Relocation Policy – FAQs
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Lynn Robinson
Municipal and Provincial Affairs
709-729-5449, 691-9446
lynnrobinson@gov.nl.ca