Signs outside B.C. Supreme Court after a judge ruled the anti-HST petition was valid in Vancouver, B.C., on Friday August 20, 2010.Darryl Dyck/ The Canadian Press
The provincial referendum on the harmonized sales tax has been pushed ahead two weeks - as requested by opponents of the tax.
The recently-settled labour dispute at Canada Post led to delays in voters receiving their ballots in the mail.
"I am issuing an order to extend the timelines of the HST Referendum to compensate for the effects of the Canada Post labour dispute" acting Chief Electoral Officer Craig James said in a statement Thursday.
"Two key dates have been extended: the deadline to request a voting package is extended to midnight (local time) July 22, 2011; and, the close of voting is extended to 4:30 p.m. August 5, 2011."
The B.C. government initially promised to hold a referendum on the controversial tax this fall. Premier Christy Clark later offered to move the date up to June to end the uncertainty about whether or not B.C. will keep the HST.
Now, the delay means the results of the mail-in vote won't be known until early September.
In a bid to win the referendum, the government recently rolled out changes to the HST that will only take effect if the tax survives the vote. The proposed "fix" for the HST includes lowering the rate, over the next three years, from 12 per cent to 10 per cent, as well as sending out one-time rebate cheques to low-income seniors and families with children.
Although opposition to the tax has declined in recent months, according to recent polls, the government is still heading for defeat on its HST.
Justine Hunter