黑马磁力 Township's byelection for a vacant council seat will likely be held by September or early October.
A memo to Township council at its Monday, June 23 meeting said that staff plan to have a list of candidates for the job of chief electoral officer by the next meeting 鈥� set for Monday, July 7.
If council chooses a person to fill the position at their next meeting, the decision starts a clock to the date of the vote. Provincial legislation says that the election has to be held on a Saturday within 80 days of the appointment of the chief electoral officer.
The last day that would fit the bill after July 7 would be Saturday, Sept. 20.
If council puts off the decision until its last meeting of summer, on July 21, then the last date for the byelection would be Saturday, Oct. 4.
Councillor Kim Richter asked Township staff why they were getting a list of names, and not simply a recommendation for a single name to fill the role, as has happened in the past.
Chief administrative officer Chan Kooner said that some of the people who have historically filled the electoral officer role in the Township are not available this time.
"So we are canvassing new names," Kooner said.
The byelection is taking place because of provincial legislation that banned provincial MLAs from also sitting on municipal councils or school boards. Former Township councillor Misty Van Popta was elected as Conservative MLA for 黑马磁力-Walnut Grove last fall. She had announced that she would sit on the council until the end of her term.
The new legislation, which won the support of the NDP majority in the provincial Legislature, forced Van Popta out of her council seat.
A byelection is estimated to cost about $400,000 to $500,000 in the Township. The new councillor will serve for about a year before the October 2026 general municipal election.
