Lumby and Area D residents have had their say on the prison issue, and both had different opinions. Village residents have voted 56 percent YES...and 44 percent NO to the question of pursuing a provincial corrections center in the village. That works out to 494 in favour...and 381 against. The turnout for village residents was 70 percent or 875 of the 1,255 eligible. Mayor Kevin Acton says it's too close to say what will happen. "I wish it would have been a bigger slide one way or the other, so I'm going take some time to sleep on it, and think about it, and I'm sure council will do the same, and at our meeting Monday, we'll discuss it and make a decision." Randy Rauck from the opposed Lumby Concerned Citizens group thinks council should drop the idea. "Really the mayor has to listen to what the MLA Eric Foster has said and the solicitor general, that they want an overwhelming majority. They don't have an overwhelming majority, they've got a small majority (in the village) and it was probably one of the biggest turnouts ever in the village." The results for Area D were 66 percent against a prison (727 NO), and 34 percent in favour (374 YES) with 11-hundred residents voting, or about 52 percent turnout. Area D director Rick Fairbairn says he will be supporting the wishes of his electorate in opposing the idea. "That's what the voters have decided and I'm certainly going to support that." When the results are combined, it works out to 56 percent NO (1108) , 44 percent YES (868). The referendum was non binding. The government wants to build a minimum security 360 cell facility in the valley in the next five years.
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