Voting in this municipal election has already begun. As of last Monday, October 17, residents have been able to vote online or by phone, with in-person voting taking place between October 20 and 21 at the Municipal Centre between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. The final day of voting will be Monday, October 24 between the same hours.
Voters should have received their PIN notice by now, which allows them to vote. If you have not received yours yet, you can call 1-833-868-3641, or check the website ngvotes.ca for help. Emails may be sent to ngvotes@northgrenville.on.ca.
Residents have a choice of two candidates for Mayor, Colleen Lynas and Nancy Peckford. There are nine candidates running for a place on Council, and residents may vote for up to four of them. You may cast your vote for one, two, three, or four candidates, as you choose.
Depending on which School Board you are registered with, the situation varies. The district Trustee for the English Catholic School Board, French Public School Board, and French Catholic School Board have been acclaimed, as there were no candidates registered to challenge them. As for the English Public School Board, North Grenville in Ward 6 (Grenville County) of the Upper Canada District School Board has John Palmer and Heidi Piper-Ward challenging three-term trustee Lisa Swan. They are running for one seat amongst 10 elected trustees, one First Nations trustee, and one student trustee.
As was pointed out in last week’s Times by Michael Whittaker, Trustees in the Upper Canada District represent the concerns of students, parents, and taxpayers in the counties of Leeds-Grenville, Lanark, Stormont-Dundas-Glengarry, and Prescott-Russell: 27,000 students; 4,200 staff; and 78 schools. They have responsibility for a $403-million operating budget, and $65 million for planned capital projects. By comparison, the budget for the Municipality of North Grenville is $26,022,550, about 5.5 per cent of the school district’s funds.
To be eligible to vote in the municipal election or for school board trustees, you must be at least 18 years old on election day, be a Canadian citizen, and you or your spouse live, rent, or own property in North Grenville.
Candidates will be elected to serve for the next four years. This election is your chance to have your say on who makes decisions on the future direction of our community over that period. There has rarely been a more contested and divisive campaign in the history of North Grenville, and your participation matters. Voting levels in these elections are usually very low, even when compared with federal or provincial contests, so every vote does literally count. Make sure yours does too.
