City of Cambridge opts for byelection to fill vacant Ward 1 seat
The City of Cambridge voted in favour of holding a byelection to fill the vacant Ward 1 council seat left after Donna Reid died earlier this month.
On Tuesday, council weighed two available options – a byelection or an appointment method to fill the seat – and ultimately opted for the byelection approach.
The byelection will be held through a combination of online voting and in-person voting with paper ballots.
On Aug. 15, 2023, Council officially declared the Office of Councillor, Ward 1 vacant as required by the Ontario Municipal Act, 2001.
This declaration triggered a countdown of 60 days to determine the method by which they choose to fill the vacancy.
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 proposed timeline in the report sent to council indicates council could 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.
The estimated 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 byelection 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
'He's in our hearts': Family and friends still seek answers one year after Nathan Wise’s disappearance
It’s been a year since Nathan Wise went missing and his family is no closer to finding out what happened to him.
'My family doctor just fired me': Ontario patients frustrated with de-rostering
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
Ottawa pizzeria places among top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world at international competition
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
Canada Post cracks down on Nunavut loophole to get free Amazon Prime shipping
Amazon's paid subscription service provides free delivery for online shopping across Canada except for remote locations, the company said in an email. While customers in Iqaluit qualify for the offer, all other communities in Nunavut are excluded.
Wildfire near Fort McMurray more than triples overnight, several evacuation alerts remain in place
The fire burning near Fort McMurray grew from 25 hectares to 5,500 hectares over the weekend.
Putin replaces Russian defence minister in rare cabinet shakeup
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin began a Cabinet shakeup on Sunday, proposing the replacement of Sergei Shoigu as defence minister as he begins his fifth term in office.
Man fatally 'slashed in the neck' in downtown Toronto, suspect outstanding
Police are searching for a male suspect after a man was “slashed in neck” on Sunday morning in downtown Toronto and died.
WATCH Dashcam video shows terrifying near-miss on two-lane northern Ontario highway
There were some scary moments for several people on a northern Ontario highway caught on video Thursday after a chain reaction following a truck fire.
Edibles, armchairs and adapters: Here are the recalls for this week
Health Canada announced various product recalls this week, including electric adapters, armchairs, cannabis edibles and vehicle components.