Residents will elect new municipal councils across the North Peace today, as well as a new board of education for School District 60.
Alaska Highway News will be covering voting results as they come in when polls close at 8 p.m.
Fort St. John:
Polls are open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Seniors Hall. There were 1,161 advanced voters in this year's election.
Mayor:
• Lilia Hansen - First elected in a by-election in 2017, Lilia Hansen will complete her first full-term as councillor in October and believes the time is right to put her name forward as mayor, a position that will be left vacant with the departure of Lori Ackerman. Born in Dawson Creek but raised in Fort St. John, Hansen pinpoints the city's vibrancy as one of the things she loves about her city. Click here to read more.
• Shannon Stange - A pastor and business consultant, Stange has put his name forward to run for the position of mayor in next month’s municipal election. The head of Release Ministries, Stange also has a fair bit of experience in the federal political landscape. Click here to read more.
• Steven Labossiere - The owner of Northern Lights Driving School, Labossiere considers himself a hard worker and someone who’s passionate about the city he’s called home for the last four years. Business, as it turns outs, is one thing he believes needs to be invigorated following an almost two-year pandemic. Click here to read more.
Council:
• Trevor Bolin - Trevor Bolin wanted to help shape Fort St. John’s future when he first stepped forward in 2008. Born and raised in Fort St. John, the married father of two teenage boys, is looking to being re-elected to his fifth term. Click here to read more.
• Amy Cox - Raised in Prince George, Amy Cox has lived in the city since 2002, and labels herself “just an average citizen” but with one goal in mind - to increase awareness by establishing communication within the community. Click here to read more.
• Lyle Goldie - Lyle Goldie has taken on a very active role in the community since moving to Fort St. John from Alberta. The current president of the city’s Pride Society, he’s also on the board of Fort St. John Public Library and a volunteer with the North Peace Museum. Click here to read more.
• Gord Klassen - A former school trustee and three-term city councillor, Gord Klassen continues a path he started some 17 years ago – serving his community. Having grown up in Fort St. John, he has seen the community transition from a small town to a vibrant city and one, he sees, with the potential to flourish well into the future. Click here to read more.
• Jim Lequiere - First elected in May 2021, the 64-year-old heavy duty mechanic and tradesman Jim Lequiere says he still has the enthusiasm to make the city a better place to live. Projects he'd like to see advanced are new aquatic centre and upgrades to both the Kin and Surerus sports fields. Click here to read more.
• Sarah MacDougall - Sarah MacDougall was the first to file her nomination for this year's election, after a first run for office in the May 2021 by-election. A parent of four, MacDougall is also an environmental health officer with Northern Health and sits on the boards of North Peace Gymnastics Association, Totem Pre-School, and North Peace Savings Credit Union. Click here to read more.
• Gary Patara - Business owner Gary Patara originally came to Fort St. John in 2013 to find new opportunities. He has a background in finance and accounting, having graduated from Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops in 2009. Click here to read more.
• Byron Stewart - Byron Stewart has been a councillor in the City of Fort St. John since 2011, and his dad before him. So, it’s a commitment he takes seriously when you sit down and talk with him about his decision to seek re-election. Click here to read more.
• Tony Zabinsky - “Go North, young man!” or something to that effect, is how Tony Zabinksy fondly remembers the start of his journey to Fort St. John in the late 1990s. And, then he drank the water. Click here to read more.
• Morgan Robinson - Morgan Robinson has not responded to interview requests from Alaska Highway News.
School District 60:
Three trustees will be elected for Area 5, and will be on the Fort St. John municipal election ballot. City residents can vote at the polls open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m at the Seniors Hall. Rural residents in Upper Halfway, Halfway River First Nation, Wonowon (west), Charlie Lake, Pink Mountain, and north of Mile 225 on the Alaska Highway can vote at Charlie Lake Elementary School.
• Helen Gilbert - Helen Gilbert didn’t expect to become chair of School District 60 so soon after she was first elected in 2018. The long-time teacher and school principal had just finished her first year as trustee in fall 2019 when she was acclaimed to the role, a position she’s nevertheless embraced over the last three years. Click here to read more.
• Baptiste Marcere - Baptiste Marcere has two daughters in the Fort St. John school system, and will soon have a third starting her studies at the city's only French immersion elementary school next year. As a Francophone with a career spent working in nonprofit organizations, Marcere believes he can bring a unique combination of perspectives to the table as a school trustee. Click here to read more.
• Bill Snow - First elected in 2014, Bill Snow is seeking a third term as school trustee. Moving to Fort St. John from Halifax in 2000, the youth care worker has been involved in many areas of school life, from sports to working as a custodian and educational assistant. Click here to read more.
• Raena Townsend - Raena Townsend's family has devoted themselves to the Fort St. John education system. And as a mother to a young son, Townsend says she’s at a point in her life where she has time to give back to the system herself. Click here to read more.
Tom Whitton - Tom Whitton filed his nomination for school trustee, following up on his run for city council in 2021. Whitton, who works in the information technology sector, says he wants to ensure the school district is receiving its “fair share” when it comes to education. Among his priorities: more classrooms, more teachers, and more community involvement in working with local students of any grade level. Click here to read more.
Taylor:
Polls are open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Community Hall. There were 114 advanced voters in this year's election.
Mayor
• Peggy Alexander - It's something Taylor's Peggy Alexander has thought about for quite awhile, and last month the 20-year resident and local business owner filed her nominations for mayor. Known as an avid golfer and curler, Alexander calls herself community-minded, another trait she feels she can bring to the role. Click here to read more.
• Brent Taillefer - A well-known long-time resident and member of the district's fire department, Brent Taillefer is looking at expanding his role in the community. With 11 years of council experience under his belt, Taillefer believes it's time and he's ready to take that next step. Click here to read more.
Council
• Gord Davies - A former Public Works director in Taylor, Gord Davies is very familiar with local government and a reason why he’s decided to run for councillor in his home community in next month's municipal election. A resident in the region for close to 40 years, half of those in Taylor, Davies said he’s seen some of the challenges the community has faced in recent years. Click here to read more.
• Murray Giesbrecht - Like many candidates, Murray Giesbrecht has been considering the idea of running for awhile. Born in Swift Current, Sask., his family moved to Taylor in 1964 when he was just eight months old, and he’s been in the district ever since. In running, he isn’t proposing a lot of changes to the town. Click here to read more.
• Desirae Graziano - Desirae Graziano is hoping to bring a different perspective to the next council in Taylor. Graziano is proud to have both a family and her own business for close to 10 years, and is hoping to be a voice for young families in the community. Click here to read more.
• Betty Ponto - A long-time resident and close to 17-year member of district council, Betty Ponto originally decided to run for council in 2005 to give back to her community. After serving on a number of volunteer boards, it seemed, for her, a natural progression to move into public office. Click here to read more.
• Michelle Turnbull - First elected in 2018, Michelle Turnbull is described as passionate by those who know her. Making the community a great place to be is what prompted to her to run for office four years ago and why she's letting her name stand again. Click here to read more.
Peace River Regional District:
Voting is open at several locations across the region from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., including the Fort St. John Seniors Hall and the Taylor Community Hall.
Area B
• Jordan Kealy - For Cecil Lake's Jordan Kealy being on a farm is nothing new – he grew up on one in the Fraser Valley. Since 2008, the 39-year-old has taken everything he's learned and with the help of a local farm girl he fell head over heels for, right about the same time, has turned an idea into a successful 'gate to plate' operation. Click here to read more.
• Jeff Kitt - Born in Fort St. John’s old general hospital in 1971, Jeff Kitt describes his home area as a very diverse culture. He has been the alternate director under retiring Area B director Karen Goodings since February. Click here to read more.
Area C
• Suzanne Haab - Although her name has never appeared on a ballot, Suzanne Haab does have political experience in another way – she's a mom to eight kids. It was after a conversation over coffee with longtime and retiring area B director Karen Goodings that Haab knew she wanted to run. Click here to read more.
• Brad Sperling - First elected in 2014, Brad Sperling is hoping to continue the work he began. Like many candidates seeking office in this month's municipal elections, the former carpenter saw concerns that drew him to public life, problems he wanted to see fixed. Click here to read more.
Funding referendums
1. Dinosaur Museum Grant in Aid
This bylaw would establish a service function for the Regional Board to provide grants toward the operation and capital improvement of the Tumbler Ridge dinosaur museum.
The vote is open to all to all eligible voters within the Peace River Regional District, including member municipalities.
The bylaw would have a tax rate impact of $0.0072 per $1000.
Click here to learn more, and to calculate the tax impact to your property.
2. Fort St. John Public Library Financial Contribution
This bylaw would provide provide funding to the Fort St. John Public Library, and is open only to voters in Area B of the regional district.
The bylaw would have a tax rate impact of $0.011 per $1000.
Click here to learn more, and to calculate the tax impact to your property.
3. Global Geopark Grant in Aid
This bylaw would establish a service function for the Regional Board to provide grants toward the operation and capital improvement of the Tumbler Ridge UNESCO Global Geopark and the Tumbler Ridge Museum Foundation.
The vote is open to all to all eligible voters within the Peace River Regional District, including member municipalities.
The bylaw would have a tax rate impact of $0.0072 per $1000.
Click here to learn more, and to calculate the tax impact to your property.
4. Regional Connectivity
This bylaw would establish a service function for the Regional Board to receive grants and requisition funds to be used to provide grants to internet service providers, and enter into agreements with internet service providers for the installation and operation of broadband infrastructure in underserved communities.
The vote is open to all to all eligible voters within the Peace River Regional District, including member municipalities.
The bylaw would have a tax rate impact of $0.0136 per $1000.
Click here to learn more, and to calculate the tax impact to your property.
5. Sport and Cultural Events Grant in Aid
This bylaw would provide authority for the provision of grants to support the holding of national and international level sports and cultural events in the region.
The vote is open to all to all eligible voters within the Peace River Regional District, including member municipalities.
The bylaw would have a tax rate impact of $0.0072 per $1000.
Click here to learn more, and to calculate the tax impact to your property.
