Interlake villagers protest against amalgamation

Some 200 people in Dunnottar held a rally Sunday to protest the Manitoba government's legislation to amalgamate smaller municipalities throughout the province.

Under bill 33, the village on Lake Winnipeg would be merged with the rural municipality of St. Andrews.

The NDP government is forcing rural communities with fewer than a thousand residents to amalgamate to save money.

Joannie Halas, who helped organize Sunday's rally, said people in Dunnottar feel they will lose control of local services if there's a merger.

"We've developed a lot of assets in the community, and a lots of services such as out at Poplar Piers and we don't want to lose any of that," she said. "We believe that's all at risk, should we become part of a larger municipality."

Halas said the community's population swells to between 2,000 and 4,000 from about 700 in the summer when cottagers return, and those people should be taken into account when counting the local population.

"These summer cottagers aren't counted," she said. "We are going to be disbanded as a municipality by the end of the year if the legislation goes through."

The protesters plan to send a petition to premier Greg Selinger objecting to the merger.

It's not the first community to protest amalgamation. The mayor of Gladstone has also raised concerns about how the population is counted.