July 10, 2012 - 1:25 PM
VANCOUVER - A B.C. First Nation will again try to vote today on a treaty with the federal and provincial governments after a court ruling that guarantees the polling station will be accessible.
The first attempt to settle the referendum for the Sliammon (sly-am-mon) First Nation on the Sunshine Coast was stopped by a group that blocked voters from the polling station on June 16.
Yesterday, a B.C. Supreme Court judge upheld a June 22 injunction preventing the Protectors of Sliammon Sovereignty from preventing today's vote.
Judge John Savage also denied the organization's request for another injunction that would have stopped the vote from taking place on the grounds it is being improperly conducted.
RCMP Cpl. Darren Lagan says that even though a spokesman for the sovereignty group has said the vote wouldn't be stopped, police will still be on site to enforce the injunction.
Polls opened at 10:00 a.m. and will close at 8:00 p.m. tonight, with results expected within a couple hours.
News from © The Canadian Press, 2012