Some townspeople are going on a little vacation.
The Town of Smithers is encouraging at least 405 residents to move to Telkwa during the upcoming census.
The Federal government completely funds all RCMP detachments with populations under 5000 people. Mayor Taylor Bachrach says if a few people skip town, it will mean more money in your pocket.
“If we could temporarily relocate that many than we should be able to get the numbers to where we need them to be and the savings could be huge,” he says.
Because of its population of 5404 people, Smithers residents have to pay 70% of the cost of local RCMP services. By temporarily lowering the population, the municipality will save about $1.8 million annually.
As for Telkwa, Mayor Darcy Repen says the Village will use this situation to help leverage funding for the new water tower.
“This will really show to the Federal and Provincial governments how badly we need water here in Telkwa when we have 400 people that just don’t have access to drinking water,” he says.
Those moving will be compensated with a $500 gas card and a ticket to this year’s demolition derby.
You can register for the move at Town Hall.