By Pam Wright
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Another community has popped up in the “let’s de-amalgamate from Chatham-Kent” movement.
Disgruntled citizens in Blenheim have launched a petition to leave C-K to become a stand-alone municipality. The effort is along the lines of what’s occurring in Bothwell-Zone where a petition is calling on the province to release the community from Chatham-Kent to allow it to join Lambton County.
Rick Williams, who is helping spearhead the Blenheim petition, said many residents in the South Kent community are “disgusted” by the municipality’s governance.
“We don’t need these clowns in Chatham,” Williams told The Voice. “They just want to spend, spend, spend. We’re fed up and we’ve had enough.”
Williams pointed out Blenheim was successful on its own before being forced by the province to become part of Chatham-Kent when the single-tier government was formed in 1998.
“We’re going to try and do it on our own,” Williams stated. “We did it before successfully.”
It’s unknown what de-amalgamating from Chatham-Kent would look like or what it would cost. The Chatham Voice reached out to Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Paul Calandra but received no answer as of press time.
Other de-amalgamation rumours are rumbling elsewhere in C-K. Since news about the Bothwell petition broke, other areas of C-K are getting on the bandwagon.
A number of Rant and Rave pages on social media are now peppered with talk of separating from the municipality and an online petition has been launched in Wallaceburg.
Ridgetown Independent publisher Jim Brown said he’s heard folks in Orford/Highgate say they want to join Rodney in Elgin County.
The former C-K councillor said he understands where residents are coming from.
“There’s a perception out there that rural Chatham-Kent has fallen by the wayside,” he said, noting the potential loss of elected rural representatives at the council table is an aggravating factor spurring the exit movement.
“Anything is possible,” Brown added.
Rumours are that a similar movement is afoot in Tilbury/Wheatley but The Voice could not confirm this as of press time.