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
More Canadians are moving to the U.S. Here's why
Recent data from the U.S. census revealed that more than 126,000 people moved from Canada to the U.S. in 2022. An expert said that one of the main reasons for this move is the cost of living.
As Hunter Biden's gun case starts jury selection, U.S. president says he has 'boundless love' for him
A federal gun case against U.S. President Joe Biden's son Hunter opened Monday with jury selection, following the collapse of a plea deal that would have avoided the spectacle of a trial so close the 2024 election. First lady Jill Biden was seated in the front row of the courtroom, in a show of support for her son.
Her gut was producing alcohol. Doctors didn't believe her
For two years doctors told her she was an alcoholic. Then they realized her gut was making alcohol from carbohydrates, a rare condition called auto-brewery syndrome.
Toyota apologizes for cheating on vehicle testing and halts production of three models
Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda apologized Monday for massive cheating on certification tests for seven vehicle models as the automaker suspended production of three of them.
Crews searching for 3 missing mountaineers near Squamish, B.C.
A search effort has been launched for a trio of mountain climbers who were reported overdue after not returning from their excursion near Squamish, B.C.
Katy Perry 'fixed' Harrison Butker's controversial commencement speech
Katy Perry has reimagined a recent commencement speech by Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker that was criticized as homophobic and sexist.
This Canadian scientist combines passion for history, archeology and genetics to solve ancient and modern-day DNA puzzles
Turi King takes pride in her work solving ancient and modern-day DNA puzzles – including a centuries-old mystery involving an infamous British king.
She is set to be Mexico's first female president. But who is Claudia Sheinbaum?
Known as “la Doctora” for her glittering academic credentials, Claudia Sheinbaum is a physicist with a doctorate in energy engineering and a former major-city mayor.
Bathroom break nearly derails $22-million project at city council meeting
A brief break during Wednesday's city council meeting in Saskatoon nearly cost the city dearly.