Cambridge council set to examine options for vacant Ward 1 seat
Cambridge city council will be looking at the options available to fill the Ward 1 seat left vacant after Coun. Donna Reid died earlier this month.
On Tuesday, council will examine the two options to fill the seat – either through a byelection or through an appointment process.
On Aug. 13, the city announced Reid had died, and on Aug. 15 council made the declaration of vacancy of the Ward 1 councillor position, triggering the 60 day countdown for the municipality to choose an option to fill the seat.
According to the report by Cambridge City Clerk Danielle Manton, Ward 1 is made up of approximately 13,369 electors.
In the 2022 Municipal Election, Ward 1 had 3,158 voters cast ballots for the role of Ward 1 councillor. The election saw 2,076 votes cast via internet voting and 1,082 votes cast in person.
BYELECTION OPTION
If council chooses the byelection route, there are multiple options for methods of voting, including internet voting only, paper ballot with tabulator, internet voting and paper ballot with tabulator and paper ballot with a manual count.
Choosing to fill the vacancy through a byelection means that Ward 1 will be vacant for approximately three months from the date that council declared the vacancy.
The clerk is responsible for fixing the date of nomination day to be a day not less than 30 days and not more than 60 days after Council passes a bylaw to hold the byelection, the report reads.
The proposed timeline in the report indicated council would begin a nomination period on Sept. 5, with advance voting beginning Nov. 1.
The official results would occur on Nov. 14, and on Nov. 28 the new councillor would be sworn in.
BY APPOINTMENT OPTION
If city council choses to go with an appointment process, the city can appoint a Ward 1 candidate from the 2022 who received the most number of votes in the previous municipal election.
Data from the Association of Municipalities Ontario (AMO) shows the 2022 municipal election for Ward 1 runner up was Helen Shwery with 1,062 votes.
Another option is to appoint an eligible elector without a formal selection process, meaning council may choose to fill the vacancy by appointing any qualified individual.
Lastly, council can appoint an eligible elector through an established formal selection process, which would permit interested, eligible persons to submit an application for appointment to council.
FINANCIAL COST
If council chooses to fill the vacancy by byelection, it is estimated that the costs of conducting the byelection will be between $20,000 and $50,000, the report reads.
This estimate is based on cost estimates the City Clerk has obtained and on the number of eligible electors in Ward 1.
Following the 2020 by-election for Ward 7, the 2022 Municipal Election and the resumption of the Catholic District School Board Election, the balance in the Election Reserve is currently $61,970, the report says.
If a byelection is selected by council, staff recommend funding the additional costs from the rate stabilization reserve fund which is intended to be used to offset extraordinary one-time pressures.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Doctors concerned about potential spread of bird flu in Canada
H5N1 or avian flu has been detected at dozens of US dairy farms and Canadian experts are urging surveillance on our side of the border too.
There's a limit to how much interest rates in Canada and U.S. can diverge: Macklem
Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem says Canadian interest rates don't have to match U.S. or global rates, but there is a limit to how much they can diverge.
TD Bank hit with $9.2M penalty after failing to report suspicious transactions
Canada's financial intelligence agency says it has levied a $9.2-million penalty against The Toronto-Dominion Bank for non-compliance with money laundering and terrorist financing measures as the bank also faces compliance investigations in the U.S.
Prince William and Kate release photo of daughter Charlotte to mark ninth birthday
Prince William and his wife Kate released a picture of their daughter Charlotte to mark the princess's ninth birthday on Thursday.
This Canadian restaurant just lowered its prices. Here's how it did it
A Canadian restaurant lowered its prices this week, and though news of price tags dropping rather than climbing sounds unusual, the business strategy in this case is not, according to experts in the field.
Should I invest with a human or a robot? Traditional firms vs. robo-advisors
Investors considering where to park their money have a choice: go with a traditional financial adviser or trust in an algorithm. Here are the pros and cons of both.
Five human skeletons, missing hands and feet, found outside house of Nazi leader Hermann Goring
Archeologists have unearthed the skeletons of five people, missing their hands and feet, at a former Nazi military base in Poland.
Imagine living in a 4-foot body that doesn't develop chronic diseases
Nathaly Paola Castro Torres has a rare disorder called Laron syndrome that is caused by a genetic mutation. It stunts her growth but also provides a hidden silver lining: Her body is protected from chronic diseases such as cancer that often take life away long before old age.
Concerns about Plexiglas prompt inspections at some Loblaws locations in Ottawa
Inspections are underway at more than one Loblaws location in Ottawa after complaints were filed about tall Plexiglas barriers.