THE WEEK: Who’s running for mayor of Comox? And Elections BC issues fine

THE WEEK: Who’s running for mayor of Comox? And Elections BC issues fine

by | Sep 2, 2022

With Incumbent Stephanie McGowan now residing in Courtenay and Mayor Russ Arnott’s candidacy uncertain, the Comox Town Council will look quite different after Oct. 15.

THE WEEK: Who’s running for mayor of Comox? And Elections BC issues fine

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This article was updated on Sept. 6 to include comments from Stephen Blacklock.

With just one week left for candidates to declare their intentions, the big local government news heading into the long weekend involves the uncertainty surrounding who’s running for Comox Town Council and, more specifically, whether incumbent mayor Russ Arnott will seek a second term.

There have been social media posts from family members that suggest Arnott is not well and some community members confirm that he hasn’t looked well recently. Decafnation has reached out to the mayor via email, but we have not received a response. Some councillors have reached out as well without any response.

We can all empathize with someone who struggles with physical health problems and the complications that normally arise for their work and family. That is difficult to manage in any circumstance.

Arnott’s situation is particularly awkward and probably extra stressful for him because his health problems, whatever they may be, are happening during the local government office filing deadline, which allows him only days to decide whether he’s well enough to serve another four years.

That uncertainty has a trickle-down effect on other candidates who might choose to seek the mayoralty rather than a council position if Arnott steps aside. If he does, we would expect Ken Grant to file for the mayor position and he might be challenged by one of the other incumbent councillors, Maureen Swift, Nicole Minions, Alex Bissinger or Jonathan Kerr.

We’ve heard there was a large turnout of potential candidates and interested citizens at the Comox Council candidate information night this week, so it appears voters will have lots of choices.

And, of course, we wish Arnott peace and clarity of mind as he works through this heart-wrenching time.

 

ELECTIONS BC FINES LOCAL CANDIDATE

Staying with Comox Council, Decafnation has learned that Elections BC issued a monetary penalty on June 9 to Stephen Blacklock, a candidate in last November’s Comox Town Council byelection, for a violation of the Local Elections Campaign Financing Act (LECFA).

Blacklock was fined $1,115.52 for “exceeding campaign period expense limit contrary to s. 68.02 LECFA.” It is the second largest penalty imposed by Elections BC in the last four years.

According to public records made available to us, it’s the first time Elections BC has sanctioned a Comox Valley candidate for a breach of the laws it administers.

Blacklock told Decafnation on Sept. 6 that he received a campaign invoice after the by-election that was “much higher than expected.” Rather than “haggle and fudge my way into compliance,” Blacklock said he simply paid the Elections BC fine. 

Elections BC (EBC) is “the independent, non-partisan Office of the Legislature responsible for administering electoral processes in British Columbia in accordance with the Election Act, Local Elections Campaign Financing Act, Recall and Initiative Act, and Referendum Act.”

But in terms of municipal elections, EBC is responsible for only monitoring campaign financing and advertising regulations. The Ministry of Municipal Affairs regulates local government election

According to Elections BC Communication Director Andrew Watson there have been 58 valid complaints since 2018 about candidates’ violations of advertising or financing regulations. Most were related to campaign financing and only a few resulted in disciplinary action.

“Every complaint is unique and we investigate every complaint we receive,” Watson told Decafnation.

He said a complaint could result, if verified, in a monetary penalty, a criminal prosecution or a warning letter. The complaints can take months or even years to investigate and adjudicate, but the EBC tries to conclude them as soon as possible.

“We don’t want to cause any harm unnecessarily. So we don’t act until we have all the facts and have conducted a fair process,” Watson said. “We are neutral and non-partisan.”

The EBC considers a number of factors before taking action on verified complaints, including whether the violation gave the candidate a material advantage.

Watson said the Blacklock monetary penalty was comparatively large because the law at the time stipulated the fine for overspending the expense limit was two times the over-spend. Since the start of 2022, the EBC has been given more discretion to levy fines for overspending up to a maximum of two times the over-spend.

 

WHO’S FILED SO FAR

The websites for our four local governments display a list of candidates as their file their nomination papers. Here are links to each website so you can follow along as candidates announce.

For Courtenay, go here.

For Cumberland, go here.

For Comox, go here.

For the Comox Valley Regional District, go here.

As of noon today, only incumbent Leslie Baird had filed for another term as mayor of Cumberland and only Erik Eriksson had filed for mayor of Courtenay. Edwin Grieve in Area C will have a new challenger in Matthew Ellis. And it appears newcomer Shannon Aldinger will seek one of the Courtenay seats on the District 71 School Board.

It is curious that the websites of Cumberland, Courtenay and the three electoral areas at the regional district show the names of candidates who have filed, while the Town of Comox website shows that no candidates have filed to date. UPDATE: Candidates who have filed started showing up on the Comox website late this afternoon.

 

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Comox Valley local government elections ramping up for Oct. 15 vote

Comox Valley voters will elect new councilors, mayors, regional district representatives, school board members and Island Trust reps on Oct. 15. Find out who’s running for what … and why. Decafnation returns to shine more light on local government issues and candidates

THE WEEK: Who’s running for mayor of Comox? And Elections BC issues fine

The Week: Comox voter turnout better than most; Elections BC reviews by-election complaints

by | Dec 2, 2021

Photo Caption

The Week: Comox voter turnout better than most; Elections BC reviews by-election complaints

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Isn’t it curious that elections for local government — the ones with the most direct impact on our day-to-day lives — routinely attract the fewest number of voters?

More voters turn out for provincial and federal elections because they build a higher profile among the general population. And they’re able to do that because political parties have more donors and therefore more money to spend on signs, campaign organizations and advertising. Local candidates just don’t have that level of resources.

And it doesn’t help to raise awareness of local elections when local radio and print media provide the bare minimum of coverage.

But here’s some good news. You might look at the recent by-election in the Town of Comox and lament the low voter turnout (18 percent of eligible voters), or you might draw a more positive conclusion: Comox by-election voters are among the most engaged in BC.

In the City of Burnaby, for example, only 8.4 percent of eligible voters turned out this year for a by-election. In the City of Richmond, only 9 percent cast ballots. The City of Abbotsford matched Comox with 18 percent, but even the City of Victoria fell short at 17 percent in 2020.

Comox did better in the 2018 general election, too, when 4,392 of Comox’s 10,867 eligible voters (40 percent) showed up at the polls. That was 4.8 percent better than the 36 percent average across the province.

In other words, the Comox population was well represented in the recent by-election, comparatively speaking. And especially so when you consider the town’s by-election came on the heels of a federal election campaign and in the midst of a storm that drenched voters on their way to the polling station.

— By-election winner Dr. Jonathan Kerr credited his success to the 65 volunteers who ran a “positive, value-based campaign.” His team always took the high road, he said, and stuck to the issues that people told them were important.

“This was a win for participatory democracy,” he told Decafnation this week. “That was one of our six values at the core of our campaign. We focused on really engaging people and being open and accessible.”

Kerr praised his campaign’s volunteers for not slipping into a “hard political style campaign.”

“Our approach was to engage people whether on the doorstep or wherever by simply saying we’re here to learn about the issues that are most important to you,” he said.

Kerr said he’s looking forward to finding common ground with the other council members and to using creative methods of engaging the public, such as drop-in coffee shop chats and Zoom town hall meetings. He used both during the campaign and says there’s no reason not to do more as a council member.

— Perennial candidate Don Davis told us that he thought the election results were predictable.

“The campaign was much different with Covid and digital,” he said. “Too early to say intentions for next year. I have alway tried to be non-partisan, but maybe it’s time to get a team behind me.”

First-time candidate Judy Johnson said she learned a lot in this campaign and that she feels more prepared for another run in 2022.

“I enjoyed meeting the candidates and hope that we all get elected next year because I think our four different perspectives and strengths will provide four solid pillars for an effective council,” she told Decafnation.

Candidate Steve Blacklock did not respond to our invitation to share his observations about the election. But he did post his thoughts on Facebook.

“Not the result we needed on Comox Election night. Very saddened that only 2100 people (18%) actually exercised their franchise democratic right. This is how democracy dies. Congratulations to Jonathan Kerr and the #ComoxGreens, with 4 out of 6 members of council now ‘aligned progressives’ the future of Comox is a (sic) bright as the rising sun.”

— Elections BC confirmed that it has received two complaints as a result of the Comox by-election. The complaints allege violations of the legislation administered by Elections BC, including the Election Act, the Recall and Initiative Act and the Local Elections Campaign Financing Act.

A spokesperson for Elections BC told Decafnation this week that the office is conducting an official review of both complaints to determine if they warrant an investigation.

“We take any potential contravention of the legislation we administer seriously and we review every complaint we receive, but not all reviews result in an investigation,” the spokesperson said. “If a complaint does not result in an investigation, we will advise the complainant and tell them why an investigation will not be conducted.”

— For all our palindrome fans, did you notice that yesterday’s date was 12-1-21?

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Conservative Horner snubs climate all-candidates forum

Recent youth-led climate strikes in the Comox Valley indicate that climate change has become an issue in the federal election, but Conservative Byron Horner has declined an invitation to participate in an Oct. 4 candidates forum on the topic

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Dr. Jonathan Kerr wins the key Comox Council by-election; islands OK high-speed Internet service

Dr. Jonathan Kerr wins the key Comox Council by-election; islands OK high-speed Internet service

by | Nov 27, 2021

Dr. Jonathan Kerr

Dr. Jonathan Kerr wins the key Comox Council by-election; islands OK high-speed Internet service

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Dr. Jonathan Kerr won the 2021 by-election to fill an open seat on the Comox Town Council.

Kerr received 1,134 of the total 2,100 votes cast or 54.0 percent. The closest competitor was Steve Blacklock who received 807 or 38.4 percent. Don Davis finished with 111 votes or 5.3 percent and Judy Johnson had 46 votes or 2.2 percent.

The by-election became necessary when councillor Pat McKenna resigned earlier this year to relocate to Nova Scotia. McKenna had endorsed Kerr for the position. Three other sitting council members had also endorsed Kerr: Alex Bissinger, Nicole Minions and Stephanie McGowan.

Kerr, who had the support of a local political action committee called Comox Greens, had been criticized for his association with what looked like the BC Green Party. But throughout the campaign, Kerr maintained that he and his supporters were only linked by a set of globally recognized “green values,” and that he was not bringing provincial party politics to local government.

There were rumours and misinformation disseminated about Kerr during the campaign, including an anonymous attack ad in the local newspaper.

In other election news, the Denman and Hornby island voters overwhelmingly approved a referendum to create a Comox Valley Regional District service that will finance and partner with firms to construct high-speed fibre optic internet infrastructure to the islands. The final official vote was 1,182  in favour to 81 opposed.

Decafnation will have more on the results of the special elections in the coming days.

 

 

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The Week: Misinformation campaign sullies Comox by-election featuring four good candidates

The Week: Misinformation campaign sullies Comox by-election featuring four good candidates

by | Nov 23, 2021

This election could go either way  |  George Le Masurier photo

The Week: Misinformation campaign sullies Comox by-election featuring four good candidates

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Decafnation has covered elections for public office on both sides of the US and Canadian border, from local council positions up to gubernatorial and US Senate races in the state of Washington. And we have learned that one of the realities of any election is that the higher the stakes, the nastier the campaign.

Based on that, it appears that some people think there’s something at stake in the race for an open seat on the Comox Town Council, which voters will decide this Saturday, Nov. 27. 

Here’s what’s going on. Someone or several people have spread a number of unfounded rumors over the past several weeks designed to hurt candidate Dr. Jonathan Kerr at the polls.

It’s difficult to identify the people spreading misinformation because it usually happens in conversations on the doorstep or in coffee shops and pubs. But it’s clear that whoever has started or is spreading the allegations doesn’t want Kerr to get elected.

Why? Probably because the negative campaigners worry that the control of the Comox Town Council is at stake.

Kerr is a progressive candidate who has been endorsed by three sitting council members and, if those four votes coalesced on important issues, that threatens the stranglehold on power held by the old guard of Russ Arnott, Maureen Swift and Ken Grant.

It’s uncertain whether Steve Blacklock, the other frontrunner in this election, shares values with the old guard or the younger progressive population growing in the town. He may well march and vote to his own beat.

But to those afraid of losing power in Comox, it is Kerr who must be defeated at all costs.

The allegations directed at Kerr by themselves aren’t that serious. Some are actually petty. But that’s not the point of negative campaigning. Spreading false information undermines the targeted candidate so that anyone uncertain about who to support will be less likely to vote for that candidate.

So what are the dishonesties being spread in this campaign?

Kerr has been accused of taking false credit for the recruitment of four new physicians to the medical clinic in Comox where he practices family medicine. Even people who have endorsed Blacklock have repeated this deceit.

But Decafnation contacted one of the owners of Sea Cove Medical Clinic who confirmed that Dr. Kerr did indeed recruit the four new doctors.

“Jonathan is our clinic lead and has been very effective in that role. He was lead recruiter of four new doctors to our clinic. Working with our clinic manager, he was the voice of the clinic … we couldn’t have done it without him,” Dr. Carol Ostry told Decafnation via email.

It has also been insinuated that Kerr would use Comox Council as a stepping stone to running for provincial or federal offices. But this charge appears baseless. Decafnation could not find any evidence that Kerr has ever shown interest in higher-level politics, and he denies it now.

Of course, jumping from local government to the provincial Legislature is not uncommon in the Comox Valley. Among those who’ve made that leap are Social Credit Stan Hagen, BC Liberal Don McRae and current MLA Ronna Rae-Leonard of the NDP. And ex Comox Mayor Paul Ives unsuccessfully sought the provincial nomination from the BC Liberal Party while serving on the council.

The latest untruth surfaced this week when a Comox resident contacted Kerr to ask if it was true that he was “pushing for a ban on residential, outdoor Christmas lights.” The person had heard the allegation from a neighbor who said it came from “someone associated with” Blacklock.

Kerr says it’s a ridiculous fib. He told Decafnation that anyone who knows him also knows that he “loves Christmas lights.”

Some of the negative campaigning might be the work of members of an anonymous group called Concerned Comox Valley Citizens who placed an attack ad in the Comox Valley Record alleging that Kerr would bring provincial party politics to local government. (Decaf note: When you send an email to the address they provide, you get no response.)

Aside from the unscrupulous aspect of an anonymous attack ad, the effect of introducing party politics at the local government level is a reasonable campaign debate point.

The Kerr campaign made itself vulnerable on this issue when a group of his supporters decided to call themselves the Comox Greens. That was a poor decision because it suggests a provincial party affiliation, whether or not it was intentional.

Kerr defends aligning himself with the Comox Greens because he says the 50-plus members are merely local citizens who share what’s known globally as the six “green values.” And, he says, there are members of the NDP, the federal Liberal Party and others among his supporters.

But that might not convince people who see the color of his signs and the inclusion of “Comox Greens” on his campaign material as a direct Green Party link.

Candidates can’t control all of the people who support them, so sometimes overzealous campaigners say things they know aren’t true or that they haven’t bothered to question.

And sometimes they do it for nefarious motives.

In any case, mudslinging and spreading false information have no place in local politics. It reeks of desperation and it’s really election bullying.

Decafnation contacted Blacklock this week about the attacks on Kerr. He told us that the allegations about his opponent “sound ridiculous to me,” and he vehemently denied any involvement in them. He said he doesn’t condone negative campaign tactics and would tell his supporters not to engage in them as well.

 

IN OTHER ELECTION NEWS

— Decafnation asked each of the candidates about their vaccination status. Blacklock, Kerr and  Don Davis said they were fully vaccinated. Judy Johnson declined to comment on her vaccination status.

— The two frontrunner candidates, Kerr and Blacklock, have diverse opinions on a proposed bylaw change about urban agriculture and allowing backyard chickens in particular. Kerr and the other two candidates, Don Davis and Judy Johnson, all support the proposed bylaw change. Blacklock opposes it.

— Advance polling numbers indicate that voter turnout might be strong. Fewer people normally vote in by-elections than in general elections. But on the first day of advance voting last week, 412 people cast ballots. That compares with 390 on the first day of advance voting in the 2018 general municipal election.

This article has been updated to correct Judy Johnson’s vaccination status.

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Rob Thompson: SD 71 trustee candidate looks at the future of education post-pandemic

Rob Thompson: SD 71 trustee candidate looks at the future of education post-pandemic

by | Nov 11, 2020

Rob Thompson, candidate for the Area C position on the Comox Valley School Board  |  Submitted photo

Rob Thompson: SD 71 trustee candidate looks at the future of education post-pandemic

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BY ROB THOMPSON

At this stage, we should be preparing for worst-case scenario. Covid-Coronavirus is showing no signs of dissipating soon. The remainder of this item is offered with absolute respect and is in no way intended to make light of the situation. People are passing away from this disease.

That said, the pandemic eventually will loosen its grasp on our lives and our economy, and we will have fiscal liabilities remaining at every level of government – Federal, Provincial, Municipal. One way of offsetting at least some of these deficits will be to use the most cost-effective methods for the delivery of services.

Online-virtual education at Kindergarten-Grade 12 level seems set to be one of these cost-effective services.

I did an MA in Leadership at Royal Roads on the cusp of this century, completing a thesis in implementing online education (k-12). I was then hired by RRU to, over the next decade-plus. instruct cohorts of administrators, both domestic and international, in which technologies-programs at the time best suited K-12 learners – and to instruct teachers, both domestic and international, in how best to utilize the technologies selected to engage K-12 learners to maximum effect.

My situation was therefore balanced positively, as I was working with K-12 administrators and teachers at the same time I was working with secondary school students themselves day-to-day.

I am in the process of completing my Education Doctorate, with a thesis on the topic of what K-12 learners in this current (2020) decade bring to the table in terms of preferences, skills, knowledge and attributes. The majority proportion of these students seem well prepared to maximize their learning in online-virtual environments, quite possibly reducing the need for as many face-to-face learning sessions and therefore reducing the need for as many face-to-face spaces.

I don’t claim to know everything about these complex areas of education.

Nor do I know everything about every one of the learners in the K-12 pipeline. They are your daughters and your sons: you know them better than anyone. So we will need you to step up and engage in the conversation. If elected as a Trustee for SD71, I will invite you to participate in this conversation.

There is nothing to say there is not a ‘sweet spot’ (a mix of online-virtual and face-to-face learning experiences) that extends each child’s learning to the maximum possible for that child.

With that in mind, space is space. Space can be used by any number of processes. Down island, the kilns of a no longer functioning mill have been converted to both work and office spaces for small businesses. Imagine a scenario where fewer face-to-face learning experiences mean consolidation of existing ‘schools’ into fewer buildings – leaving the remaining buildings for, well, housing, or offices, or other necessary, potential revenue-creating activities.

Education for every child remains my priority – and my focus should I be elected Trustee.

That includes the possibilities that might become available for our indigenous children. Imagine the possibilities of an indigenous child from our community joining an online-virtual environment shared by other indigenous children located internationally, with all of that access to countless centuries of ‘ways of knowing’ and techniques of knowledge dissemination.

All of this is possible. Vote for me, and let’s fire up the conversation.

 

AREA C VOTERS TO ELECT NEW SCHOOL BOARD TRUSTEE

Due to the resignation of the formerly elected Area C representative, voters will go to the polls on Saturday, Dec. 12 to choose a new school board trustee. The six candidates are:

Randi Baldwin, Kandice Bielert, Monica Parkin, Terence Pruden, Cristi May Sacht and Robert Thompson.

All candidates are welcome to submit articles for publication on this website.

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NDP’s Ronna-Rae Leonard: voters given chance to choose long-term stability

NDP’s Ronna-Rae Leonard: voters given chance to choose long-term stability

by | Oct 12, 2020

Ronna-Rae Leonard  |  2017 Decafnation file photo

NDP’s Ronna-Rae Leonard: voters given chance to choose long-term stability

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Seeking her second term as the NDP MLA for the Courtenay-Comox riding, Ronna-Rae Leonard does not apologize for her party calling an Oct. 24 snap election.

Leonard says the call was necessary to solidify the NDP government’s successful record on dealing with the pandemic and creating economic stability.

“Our collaboration with the Green Party has resulted in the most ambitious climate action plan in North America,” she told Decafnation via a telephone interview. “But the fragility of a minority government is always at risk and that puts three years of forward progress at risk.”

This election, Leonard said, gives the people of British Columbia the chance to set a stable course for the province’s long-term recovery.

And she does not agree with the accusations that her party has broken its 2017 campaign promises on old growth forest logging, liquid natural gas (LNG) or to shelve the controversial Site C dam project.

The NDP sent the Site C project to an independent commission for analysis and so the public could see the facts of its status.

“That was the promise, and it was kept,” she said. “But the Liberals had pushed the project beyond the point of no return and without any transparent analysis.”

On old-growth logging, Leonard notes that public support has swung back and forth, pro and con, over many generations. But she and NDP leadership have committed to adopting the 14 recommendations contained in the report from the BC Old-Growth Strategic Review Panel, which was based on public and stakeholder consultations between November 2019 to January 2020, and released last month.

Among the key recommendations, she said are a promise to give indigenous peoples a place at the table, and the introduction of specific criteria by which to analyze old-growth logging proposals.

Likewise, on LNG, she said her party never promised to ban LNG projects in BC.

“We criticized the Liberals for their wide open, sell off BC policies, from which no prosperity was ever delivered,” she said. “We didn’t go chasing LNG, it came to us and we’ve developed five criteria that hold LNG to the highest standards in the world and that will meet our climate goals.”

 

LONG-TERM CARE BEDS

The NDP has no plan to push private long-term care homeowners out of the market. Instead, Leonard says her party will focus on stricter oversight of private operators and on more training and improved working conditions for care home workers.

“What we inherited were facilities privatized to profit on the backs of employees and seniors,” she said. “We’re committed to improving the standard of care and we’re working toward that.”

Leonard noted that in the history of BC, only one care home had ever been taken over by public control. But in the last three years, the NDP government has taken over three.

And while the Liberals had promised only 70 new long-term care beds for the Comox Valley, the NDP has more than doubled that number to 150.

“Under the Liberals, long-term care was privatized, worker rights were taken away as were jobs, and wages were lowered so workers had to hold multiple part-time jobs to live,” she said. “Our promise is for more oversight, $1.4 billion to make sure every senior has a single room and more training and higher wages for workers.”

The NDP platform includes the hiring of 7,000 new health care workers, and 2,000 of those will be trained specifically for long-term care.

Leonard pointed out that since 2018, the NDP has partnered with North Island College to fund a state-of-the-art long-term care training facility in a real hospital setting at the former St. Joseph’s General Hospital building in Comox.

 

NO COMMITMENT ON PATHOLOGY SERVICES

But Leonard would make no commitment on returning onsite clinical pathology services to Comox Valley and Campbell River hospitals.

The Vancouver Island Health Authority has eliminated clinical pathologist positions on the North Island and moved them to a private corporation of Victora doctors. Physicians and health care workers in both communities have warned of the dangers, including long wait times for biopsy results, and the Comox Strathcona Regional Hospital Board has written to VIHA, the Premier and the Minister of Health demanding that the services be reinstated.

But Leonard called the issue “not clear cut,” and that it was a “challenge to work with different levels of authority,” referring to VIHA leadership.

“I’ve heard both sides of that issue and I don’t know the best path,” she said. “I’ll leave that to those in a position to know.”

 

RESPONSE TO CRITICS

Leonard’s election opponents have alluded to public criticisms that she has not been responsive to her constituents or to local governments on issues like clinical pathology services.

“I think this is politically motivated criticism,” she said. “I always take action whenever an issue is brought to me. I do the best I can do. I realize there are a lot of different views out there I’m here to make life better for everyone, not just the top one percent.”

 

ADDRESSING YOUNG VOTERS

Leonard hopes young voters will recognize the beneficial changes her party has brought made for post-secondary students.

Under the Liberal tuitions tripled, she said, but the NDP has brought back and expanded the student access grant program in February of 2019. Now, once again, 40,000 students per year are eligible for a $4,000 interest-free student loan.
The NDP also expanded the access grants to include students enrolled in diploma and certificate programs, while before they applied only to four-year baccalaureate degrees programs.

Leonard said the NDP also improved the grant program by raising the allowable maximum family household income, which increased the number of eligible students.

 

BIO FACTS

Born into a military family, Ronna-Rae Leonard grew up in the Comox Valley. She served three terms on the Courtenay City Council. She won the 2017 provincial elections, her first try at provincial office, by a slim margin over the BC Liberal Party candidate, Jim Benninger. BC Premier John Horgan appointed Leonard as the NDP Parliamentary Secretary for Seniors this year.

 

 

 

IMPORTANT NOTE FOR COMMENTS

Decafnation encourages comments and a free exchange of ideas about our articles. Please limit your comments to fewer than 200 words. Longer comments will be removed. If you wish to submit an article for our commentary section, please send it to george@decafnation.net.

 

 

 

 

 

 

OCT. 24 PROVINCIAL ELECTION INFORMATION

The 2020 provincial election takes place on Oct. 24.

Advance voting begins at various locations on Thursday, Oct. 15 and continues every day through Wednesday, Oct. 21. A schedule and list of polling stations are posted on the Elections BC website.

Candidates in the Courtenay-Comox riding are incumbent Ronna-Rae Leonard (NDP), Gillian Anderson (BC Greens) and Brennan Day (BC Liberals).

In the last election (2017), 66.89 percent of the riding’s 43,671 registered voters cast a ballot. The results were:

NDP Ronna-Rae Leonard received 10,886 votes or 37.36%

BC Liberal Jim Benninger — 10,697 votes or 36.72%

Green Ernie Sellentin — 5,351 votes or 18.37%

Leah McCulloch — 2,201 votes or 7.55%

 

 

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