All is quiet in Gaultois as relocation vote gets underway in isolated N.L. community

A voting process that could have life-changing consequences for residents of a tiny, isolated and fragile community on Newfoundland's south coast is underway, but residents of Gaultois are not making a big deal of it as they consider whetherto abandon their town.

Residents on both sides of the issue saythey're being careful not to create any animosity or division in what is a tight-knit community,accessible only by ferry from the neighbouring town of Hermitage. So the resettlement question is being spoken about in hushed tones, with plenty of people being very discreet about how they will vote.

There are no community meetings planned or campaigns underway to try to sway residents one way or another, said MayorGordon Hunt. Residents are even reluctant to saywho initiated this latest attempt at resettlement.

Two previous votes failed, though they occurred years ago, when the benchmark to trigger government-funded resettlement was 90 per cent, and the community was younger and more vibrant than it is today. The government's new policy has lowered that threshold to 75 per cent, though residents say the outcome remains uncertain.

"I don't know. I can't say for sure," said resident Jamie Howse, 49, who supports resettlement. "Some people are saying yes, some people say no."

Town's only business owner quietly opposes relocation

The man who owns the only business in the community, Ron Simms, is strongly opposed to resettlement. But he dares not try to lobby his customers when they step through the doors of his small grocery store.

"I don't bother to bring it up," said Simms, who shares his opinion on the matter with only a few like-minded relocation opponents.

"There's a few of us against it, and I'm hoping we might get enough to offset [resettlement]," he said.

Simms will turn 77 on April 6, the deadline for residents to return their secret ballots to the government. He knows he's in the minority, he said,buta rejection of resettlementwould be the ideal birthday gift.

"As long as I can stay healthy and can do what I wantI'm doing,I don't want to change that," he said.

Mayor says he's staying neutral

Hunt declined a recorded interview because he wants to remain neutral. CBC News also spoke with a handful of other residents who said they wantedto let the process unfold before expressing any opinions.

• Tiny former fishing village along Newfoundland's south coast considering resettlement
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The vote is the latest chapter in the long and sometimes painful history of resettlement in Newfoundland and Labrador, though the modern adaptation is community-driven,not mandated by the government.

Communities such as Little Bay Islands, Snook's Arm and William's Harbour have all relocated within the last decade or so, and a vote is also pending in Tilt Cove, a community in Notre Dame Bay with only a handful of residents.

Thirty-seven households roughly 75 permanent residents of voting age inGaultois began receiving voting packages last weekfrom the Department of Municipal and Provincial Affairs.

The relocation vote was triggered after the department received a package of 78 "expression of interest" ballots in sealed envelopes from Gaultois residents a year ago, with a heavy majorityof those supportingrelocation, according to a statement from the department.

The department then completed an analysis of the cost of delivering government services to the community over the next 20 years, versus the cost of providing relocation cash to residents. That analysis revealed there would be a net savings to taxpayers of at least $10 million, which is one of the criteria that must be met for the department to approverelocation.

If residents vote to relocate, the provincial government will provide financial assistance of between $250,000 to $270,000 to a property owner, depending on the number of people in the household, and $10,000 for a resident of voting age who is not a property owner.

Business owners like Simmsreceive twice the assessed value of their commercial property.

Holdouts not forced to leave

Once resettlement is complete, holdouts are not forced to leave, butthe province stops funding services such as ferries, education and electricity.

Jamie Howsesaid he's heard of some people changing their minds since the unofficial vote took place, but he's reluctantly ready to give up on Gaultois.

"I don't wanna leave this. I don't. I love it here. It's quiet. It's kind of like we got it made," he said. "I'm only going because I'm only young, and all my friends are deciding to leave."

A bleak economic outlook

Gaultoisis a once-bustling fishing community tucked away and protected by steep mountains that has been on the decline for decades. At its peak, it was home to more than 600 people, with a seafood processing plant employing hundreds of workers.

The plant has been silent for years, however, and the economic outlook is bleak. The population is rapidly shrinking as elderly residents pass away, while others leave to escape the frequent ferry disruptions and lack of health care services. In a rare bright spot for the town, the enrolment at the local all-grade school recently increased from four to five students.

But it's clear that many residents feel it's time to go. The question is whether enough of them will support this latest effort in order to access government money to help them make the move.

Howse said he'll accept whatever the majority of residents decide.

"If we don't get it, I don't care, 'cause I still got a roof over my head," said Howse, who works seasonally as a fisherman and would likely relocate to Hermitage.

'I can take care of myself'

But Simmsis not excited about the potential of being forced out of his beloved community, seeing the customers that have supported his business for the past 38 years stepping onto the ferry for the last time, ormoving to an unfamiliar place, with strangers as neighbours and a pace he's unaccustomed to.

"I don't want to go into going to a home right now. I can take care of myself. My wife is in good health," he said.

"What else would I want to do if I gotta go somewhere else and look at the window across the street at somebody else's house?"

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