Eligible voters wanting to cast their ballot in-person for Beausoleil First Nation's general election have two voting options.
The Community Centre on Christian Island will host one polling station for residents starting at 9 a.m. Saturday while voters on the mainland can cast their ballots at a municipal office on the mainland at Cedar Point.
Both polling stations close at 8 p.m. that evening, with the votes tallied at the Community Centre immediately thereafter and the results declared following the count.
"The reason (Beausoleil First Nation) did this,” said electoral officer Vaughn Johnston, “is that because of the (provincial) lockdown, they weren’t allowing band members to come across on the boat (to Christian Island) who were not permanent residents. They didn’t want to change (policy) while the lockdown was still on, so we’re setting up a poll at Cedar Point, just before you get on the ferry.”
Six candidates are in the running for chief (in alphabetical order): Doug King, Wesley King, Steve Kirdeikis, Guy Monague (incumbent), Joanne P. Sandy and Arthur Dennis Stark.
To fill council, close to 40 candidates have entered their names into the arena (in alphabetical order): Curtis “Chopper” Assance, Paula Assence (Copegog), Angela Beedie (incumbent), Andrew Germaine Copegog, C. Susan Copegog, Jane Copegog, Tanya Copegog, Tori Cress, Shelly Essaunce, Tammi Givans, Alex King, Mary Jane King, Sherry Iris King, Vicki King, Wesley King, Tiffany McCue; Braden Monague, Lynn Monague-Sauvé, Ryan Monague, Sara Monague, Vicki Monague, Hollie Nolan, Trevor Angela Reid, Tanya Roote-Jamieson, Logan Arnold Drake Roote,Tiffany Anne Ruffett, Angela Sandy, Joanne P. Sandy, Kimberly Sandy, Kyle Sandy, Murray Sandy, Scott Simpson, Natalie Smith-Mixemong, Marcella J. Sunday, Murray Sylvester, Jill Walser, Ryan Walser, Brain Vanderstelt and Whitney Walsh.
“Every First Nation can do (elections) a little bit differently,” said Johnston. “Usually how they look at that, is that the person with the most votes for council becomes the (chief councillor), to fill in for the chief if the chief is away.”
Turnout for the 2018 Beausoleil First Nation election saw 826 ballots cast, according to Johnston.
Detailed profiles for each of the candidates can be found on the Beausoleil First Nation website.
The election was originally slated to occur last May. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the maximum of two six-month extensions were granted to the council via the First Nations Election Cancelation and Postponement Regulations (Prevention of Diseases).
The regulations allow for cancelation and postponement with the alignment of four events: the Governor in Council is of the opinion that an outbreak of a communicable disease (like COVID-19) poses an imminent and severe risk to public health; the election process for First Nations chief and councillors was underway; with some First Nations having taken measures to cancel or postpone elections to stop the introduction or spread of COVID-19; and where it is necessary to continue governance of First Nations during COVID-19.
