Sioux Lookout by-election candidates named

Jesse Bonello - Staff Writer

As of the Dec. 13 nomination deadline, four candidates had submitted their nomination forms to fill a vacancy on Sioux Lookout Municipal Council.
The official list of candidates who have put their names forward for the municipal by-election includes: Connor Howie, Nick Costello, Darlene Angeconeb, and Michael Quince.
The candidate that is voted in will fill the vacant Councillor-at-Large seat for the remainder of Council’s 2018-2022 term, which will end on Nov. 15, 2022. The voting period will take place in January.
“The Municipality of Sioux Lookout will have a Voting Period which will commence on Monday, January 20, 2020 at 8:00 a.m. to January 27, 2020 to 8:00 p.m. Eligible electors can vote at any time during the Voting Period,” the Municipality shared.
The Municipality describes the criteria to be an eligible elector, “A person is entitled to be an elector if, on Voting Day, Monday, January 20 2020, he/she:
Resides in the local municipality or is the owner or tenant of land in the local municipality, or the spouse of such owner or tenant;
Is a Canadian citizen;
Is at least 18 years old; and
Is not prohibited from voting under subsection 17(3) of the Municipal Elections Act, 1996, or otherwise, by law.”
The by-election is being conducted through internet and telephone voting. The Municipality said there will be no paper ballots.
All eligible electors on the official Voters' List provided by the Municipality will receive their Voter Instructions Letter (VIL), which they can expect in the mail between Jan. 9 and 13.
The Municipality explained the internet and telephone voting processes, “Internet Voting: Voters will receive a website address and a Personal Identification Number (PIN) in their Voter Instructions Letter. The website address takes voters to the Sioux Lookout Municipal Elections voting website. A voter will enter their PIN and year of birth to authenticate their identity and verify that they are eligible to vote/on the Voters List and have not yet voted. If authentication is successful, the voter may click on the current election link and a tamper-proof electronic ballot will appear. The voter will indicate their candidate selections by clicking on the appropriate box(es) beside the name(s) of the candidate(s) they wish to vote for. When their selections are completed, the voter “confirms” their selections and “submits” the ballot. When the voter submits a ballot, the results are encrypted and kept anonymous. The voter is issued a receipt number and is now blocked from voting in this election again. The system never allows a voter to vote twice.
“Telephone Voting: Voters will receive a toll-free telephone number and Personal Identification Number (PIN) in their Voter Instructions Letter. Voters call the phone number and are prompted to authenticate their identity by entering their PIN and year of birth using a touch-tone dial pad. The system checks whether or not they have voted. If they have not voted, the system will start to read the list of candidates. The voter makes their selections, one at a time. Once voting is completed, the voter is requested to confirm their choices. When the voter confirms a ballot, the results are encrypted and stored anonymously. The voter is issued a receipt number (accessible only online) and is now blocked from voting in this election again. The system never allows a voter to vote twice.
“An Online Voting Kiosk has been established at the Sioux Lookout Municipal Office. You will have access to a computer and be able to vote during the Voting Period.”
The council position became vacant following the passing of Municipal Councillor Calvin Southall in Sept.
For more by-election information, visit www.siouxlookout.ca/en/your-local-government/ 2020-municipal-by-election.asp#B19.