Wood Buffalo Township Seeks Bill 20 Waiver for Midterms

The Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo is asking the province for an exemption from changes to municipal election rules as it prepares for a by-election.

The byelection will be held Nov. 4 in Ward 4, filling the seat left vacant after Councilwoman Jane Stroud died in August.

District 4 is largely rural, encompassing Anzac, Conklin, Gregoire Lake Estates and Janvier.

The new municipal election rules are part of the provincial government’s legislation to overhaul some aspects of municipal governance, known as Bill 20.

Bill 20 modifies two laws: the Local Authorities Election Law and the Municipal Government Law.

Wood Buffalo Council voted unanimously on September 10 to hold the by-election on November 4.

When the township planned a byelection in District 4, it did not consider the effects of House Bill 20 going into effect, Jade Brown, the township’s legislative director, said Tuesday.

“It is recommended that the council apply for an exemption for the purposes of the by-election to ensure there is no confusion between voters and candidates in the electoral systems they govern,” he said.

Special tickets one of the reasons for exemption

One of the reasons for this exemption, Brown said, is that House Bill 20 changes the rules on the use of special ballots.

Currently, a voter can request a special ballot only for a specific reason, such as incapacity or absence from the municipality.

Under the new set of rules, voters will be able to request special ballots for any reason.

“So there will be a lot more reasons why that could be requested if this goes into effect on October 31,” Brown said.

“It doesn’t really give us time to be able to adjust our process before the Nov. 4 date,” he said.

“I’m not sure of any other municipality in the province that is currently in by-election mode,” she added.

At Tuesday’s meeting, council voted unanimously to direct Mayor Sandy Bowman to write a letter to Municipal Affairs Minister Ric McIver to request an exemption from the Local Authority Election Act.

Bowman said he had been in contact with McIver and his office, and said they were inclined to grant a waiver.

“They have committed to signing a ministerial order before the end of the week and sending it to us,” he said.

“We have communicated to them what was happening,” he said.

“They understand the situation.”

In a statement to CBC, McIver’s press secretary, Heather Jenkins, said RMWB told them about the upcoming byelection.

“We are currently investigating this and will provide guidance to support a successful by-election for the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo,” he said.