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Nominations open for municipal elections

New legislation allows for a nomination period from Jan. 1 to Sept. 20, 2021
NEWS-Municipal polls
Foothills residents head to the polls at the Foothills Centennial Centre on Oct. 21, 2019. (BRENT CALVER/Western Wheel)

Nominations are now open for council hopefuls in the Foothills region.

Changes to the Local Authorities Election Act in 2020 amended legislation to allow for a nomination period from Jan. 1 until Sept. 20 at noon, rather than one nomination day with a two-hour window in September.

“It’s going to be a very different election for all of us, for the candidates and for the Town,” said Cathy Duplessis, manager of legislative and policy services for the Town of Okotoks.

She said the eight-month period could change how campaigns play out, as nominees can begin hitting the pavement as soon as their papers are filed and approved, and fees have been paid.

It costs $250 to run for council in Okotoks, and $500 to run for the mayor’s seat. In Foothills County, the nomination deposit is $500 for all council candidates.

Due to COVID-19, the Province has allowed payment to be made with debit or credit cards rather than requiring cash, cashiers' cheque or money order, to encourage contactless payment.

“I would have anticipated they made the changes to give people more time, to encourage them, to fundraise, to get their name recognition out there,” said Duplessis.

That could still look different for the 2021 elections with COVID concerns in the air, she said.

Events will likely be limited and door-knocking would have to be done carefully to meet regulations and health orders.

“It’s going to be hard to tell if that ends up upsetting the election,” said Duplessis.

Additional changes to the act include restriction the amount of money donors can contribute to third-party advertisers with a contribution limit of $30,000 – a move Duplessis said likely affects elections in larger cities like Calgary or Edmonton more than smaller communities.

However, people are able to donate up to $5,000 per candidate and support an unlimited number of candidates in the election. People running in the election cannot contribute more than $10,000 to their own campaign per year, and are able to raise $5,000 outside the campaign period (up from $2,000 previously).

Duplessis said once a nominee’s papers have been filed and she has signed off on them as returning officer for Okotoks, their names will appear on the Town’s website for complete transparency.

“So if someone wants to donate or make a campaign contribution to a candidate then they can go to the Town website and check – do they actually have nomination papers filed and have they been accepted,” said Duplessis. “If the answer is yes, then they are an actual viable candidate.”

The Province also included a provision in the amended act to allow for senate nominee elections and referendums to be included on the municipal election ballot in order to cut down on duplication and costs.

“This could end up being a very long ballot, we’re not certain yet what that will look like,” said Duplessis.

She said anyone interested in filing their nomination papers can find information on the Town’s website. People are encouraged to contact Duplessis and arrange an appointment as well.

In light of COVID-19 nomination papers may be mailed in, sent by courier, or dropped through the mail slot at the municipal centre, she said. To-date, no nominations have been accepted for the Town of Okotoks municipal election.

For more information on the Town of Okotoks elections visit www.okotoks.ca or contact Duplessis at 403-995-2774 or via email at [email protected]. For Foothills County visit www.foothillscountyab.ca or contact Heather McInnes at [email protected].

Krista Conrad, OkotoksToday.ca

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