Sorrento Hall (Image credit: CSRD).

By Aaron Schulze

Community Hall Referendum

CSRD holding referendum on funding community halls in Blind Bay, Sorrento and others

May 27, 2025 | 10:38 AM

BLIND BAY, B.C. — Residents in Blind Bay, Notch Hill, Sorrento and other parts of Electoral Area G of the Columbia Shuswap Regional District (CSRD) will head to the polls to determine if they want to maintain and operate five local community halls.

The CSRD Board of Directors approved going forward with a referendum before October, 2025. Through the vote, Electoral Area ‘G’ taxpayers will be asked to approve annual funding of $55,000 to operate Blind Bay Hall, Carlin Hall, Cedar Heights Hall, Notch Hill Hall and Sorrento Hall.

In a news release issued Monday (May 26), the CSRD says the five halls are not owned and operated by the district, but rather by non-profit societies in the area.

“Currently, many of these community halls are struggling with finding enough money to keep up with the costs of operation, replacing worn-out infrastructure and insurance,” the CSRD states. “These halls are community hubs, which are used for a wide range of social, recreational, economic and public safety-related activities for the neighbourhoods they serve.”

Previously, the CSRD says many community halls within its boundaries would receive funding from its Community Works Funds, also known as federal gas tax funding. However, the district cites recent changes to provincial legislation that prevent it from using Community Works Funds to support third-party buildings.

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If the referendum result is a ‘yes,’ $10,000 each would be allocated yearly to the Blind Bay, Carlin, Cedar Heights and Notch Hill halls, while the Drop-In Society and Sorrento Hall Society would each receive $7,500 to co-operate the Sorrento Hall. The CSRD says Electoral Area G taxpayers would pay approximately $16.54 per parcel of land.

While the exact date has not yet been set, the CSRD says the referendum will be held before October to allow the funding to start in 2026. The district says more information will be provided on its website as it becomes available.