Residents in the Battlefords head to the polls Monday for the municipal and school board elections. (File Photo/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By battlefordsNOW Staff

Election Day

No snow day for municipal election in Battlefords

Nov 8, 2020 | 9:06 PM

Lingering effects of a severe winter storm this past weekend will make travel difficult in and around the Battlefords Monday, but solid turnout is still expected for the 2020 Municipal Election when the polls open at 9:00 a.m.

Five incumbents and six challengers are vying for a seat on town council, while North Battleford has 13 council candidates and five entries in the mayoral race. In its lone advanced poll, Battleford received 312 ballots. North Battleford received 1,126 ballots through its three advance polls from residents who wanted to avoid potential crowds and poor weather conditions to cast their early vote.

Incumbent Mayor Ryan Bater said he focused his campaign on his experience and teamwork and the accomplishments of the past four years by council. He is also looking ahead at the next four years following the pandemic.

“It’s how I view city council, but it’s also how our campaign has come together,” he said. “A lot of people helping out, putting up signs, spreading the word and getting supporters.”

Former finance director David Gillan thanked the other candidates for “letting their name stand for the election this year,” saying they are raising most of the same key issues, despite coming from different backgrounds.

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“I believe voices were loud and clear that status quo does not work,” Gillan said. “Thus, I am hopeful that whoever is elected will reflect on the concerns raised during this election and do their best to work even harder on issues that seem very important to the citizens of North Battleford.”

Misa Nikolic, who recently worked as the city’s archivist, said he’s very happy with how the campaign unfolded and has received plenty of positive feedback.

“Although it’s still anybody’s race, one good thing to have come out of all this is much more engagement,” Nikolic said. “When people are voting, it means they feel they have agency and that’s a good thing for democracy.”

Landlord and long time Battlefords resident Lois Laing said people received her very well over the past few weeks.

“The whole campaign was just a lot of fun, really sincere people with a real positive attitude,” Laing said.

The most important takeaway for Laing was to really take the time to listen to residents thoughts and concerns.

“Not talk all the time and let people tell about what they would like to see,” she said. “I learned a lot about how people feel.”

James Sieben, the youngest candidate in the field, said he’s eager to see the results after the polls close.

“I’m pleasantly surprised by the amount of support I’ve received in the last few weeks and, even in the event of a loss, I’m glad I took the time to run for mayor,” he said.

You can follow the live results of the municipal election for Battleford and North Battleford on CJNB Monday evening, with updates starting at 8:00 p.m. when the polling stations close and running every half hour until 10:30 p.m. Voting locations are the Civic Centre in North Battleford and the Alex Dillabough Centre in Battleford.

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josh.ryan@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @JoshRyanSports