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Last chance to submit your nomination

Municipal election season will officially begin with the upcoming province-wide nomination day. On Monday, Sept. 18, hopeful councillors, mayors, reeves, and school board trustees alike, will have the opportunity to enter their respective race.
Nomination day is on Sept. 18 for the Town and MD of Bonnyville and both school boards.
Nomination day is on Sept. 18 for the Town and MD of Bonnyville and both school boards.

Municipal election season will officially begin with the upcoming province-wide nomination day.

On Monday, Sept. 18, hopeful councillors, mayors, reeves, and school board trustees alike, will have the opportunity to enter their respective race.

Anyone interested in running still has time to throw their name in.

Nomination forms for the Town and the MD of Bonnyville, and the Village of Glendon can be dropped off at the local jurisdiction office between the hours of 10 a.m. and 12 p.m. on nomination day

School board trustee nominations will also be open from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., at both the Northern Lights Public Schools (NLPS) and the Lakeland Catholic School District (LCSD) division offices.

When running for municipal politics, candidates are required to have lived in the municipality for a period of at least six months. Residents must also be Canadian citizens and over the age of 18.

“Most importantly, they have to look over the rules in the sections in the Local Authorities Elections Act to ensure there is no other disqualifying factors that make them ineligible,” informed Esther Quiambao, returning officer for the MD.

Quiambao highlighted sections 21, 22, 23, and 47 of the Local Authorities Elections Act, but added entrants would have to take a closer look.

Each candidate will have to sign an official affidavit stating they understand the act, as well as include an endorsement from five members of their ward.

“To be nominated, candidates fill out a form that must be signed by a minimum of five residents of the MD. If they're running for reeve, it can be any resident, but if it's a councillor, their signatures must come from their ward,” Quiambao explained.

Both the Town of Bonnyville and the Village of Glendon share that same requirement.

Six councillor vacancies need to be filled in the town and MD, in addition to the position of mayor and reeve.

Glendon will also look to fill seats at council, but will take a different approach when it comes to choosing a mayor.

“Residents will elect three councillors and amongst those three councillors they will decide who will be mayor,” detailed Glendon assistant CAO Crystal Hofer.

Those looking to make a difference on the municipal level should note being business savvy is a definite asset.

“You have to have a business sense because you're dealing with millions of dollars when running a municipality like the Town of Bonnyville. Council handles a lot of money and they have to disperse it in a way to ensure the whole town runs as smoothly as possible,” explained Town of Bonnyville Coun. Rene Van Brabant.

Both school boards will also be holding elections. NLPS has nine vacancies, while LCSD has seven.

Both boards require candidates to be over the age of 18, a Canadian citizen, and a resident of the their district.

In the case of LCSD, trustees must also be Catholic, and reside specifically in the ward they're running for.

“Like the municipal election, there's a form that has to be signed by five electors, but other than that, if residents are eligible to vote in a ward they're eligible to run. The nomination process is actually quite easy,” noted Sylvia Slowski, secretary-treasurer for LCSD.

NLPS is looking for three trustees from the Bonnyville and Cold Lake wards, as well as one from each of the Lac La Biche, Lac La Biche-Plamondon, and Lac La Biche South wards.

The same way councils operate in their respective jurisdictions; school boards govern their districts. The available positions are not restricted to residents with previous political experience.

“The trustees basically set the direction for where the division is going to go,” detailed Nicole Garner, communications officer for NLPS. “We have had people with a variety of different backgrounds join the board, from leaders of parent groups, to former teachers, to local business people.”

Regardless of whether they're running in the municipal or school board election, residents should expect the position to take up a considerable amount of time.

Residents putting their name forward have to be prepared for the extra responsibilities that come with being elected.

“There's definitely a commitment. It's not just council meetings. There are various committees councillors need to sit on, in addition to balancing the budget and planning for community events. The biggest commitment is time,” Hofer said.

While he admits it's not for everybody, MD Coun. David Fox noted candidates that can handle the commitment have a unique opportunity to make a difference in residents' lives.

“It's all about dealing with taxpayers money and making the most out of it with the least amount of waste possible. It's very time consuming, but I love it,” said Fox. “I've enjoyed working with people day after day.”

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