Lethbridge municipal election wraps up with increased voter turnout
The City of Lethbridge is set to welcome in a new team of local leaders following Monday's municipal election.
Headlining the night was Blaine Hyggen who narrowly edged out former two-term councillor Bridget Mearns by just 508 votes to become the city's next mayor.
There are also four new councillors who will be joining incumbents Belinda Crowson, Mark Campbell, Jeff Carlson and Ryan Parker.
Nick Paladino, Jenn Schmidt-Remple, former Lethbridge mayor Rajko Dodic, and former Lethbridge police chief John Middleton-Hope have also earned a seat on city council.
"Some of them are very tired, some of them have been out picking up their signs, and of course they're all very excited to be serving this great city," said Returning Officer Bonnie Hilford.
"Swearing in will be next Monday and then we can officially put them to work. So their orientation will start on Tuesday, and it is very robust."
A point of emphasis for the city this time around was increasing voter turnout after just 21,338 eligible voters, 27 per cent, turned in a ballot in 2017.
This time around, there were roughly 7,000 more ballots cast which is an uptick of eight per cent.
Lethbridge mayoral results, Monday Oct. 18, 2021
"The theme for this election was simplicity, so that people would understand and easily be able to vote and it was accessible to all," said Hilford
"We had 14 voting stations, and they were steady. Sometimes there was up to a 30 or 45 minute wait, so in the future maybe we'll have more voting stations as well."
Hilford added that the pandemic presented some challenges this year in trying to set up additional voting stations and bring more staff on board to help reduce wait times, but that shouldn't be an issue for the 2025 election.
Advance voting more than doubled compared the last election with 9,804 residents casting their ballot ahead of Monday's election.
City officials credit much of the increase in advance voter turnout to the new drive-through voting option, which Hilford says will likely be coming back in 2025.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Poilievre will do 'anything to win,' must condemn Alex Jones endorsement: Trudeau
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is ramping up his attacks on Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre as he promotes his government's federal budget.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
New evidence challenges the Pentagon's account of a horrific attack as the U.S. withdrew from Afghanistan: CNN exclusive
New video evidence uncovered by CNN significantly undermines two Pentagon investigations into an ISIS-K suicide attack outside Kabul airport, during the American withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
All Alberta wildfires to date in 2024 believed to be human-caused: province
There are 63 wildfires burning in Alberta's forest protection area as of Wednesday morning and seven mutual aid fires, including one in the Municipal District of Peace.
Suspects waving weapons, smashing glass in Toronto jewelry store robbery caught on video
Arrests have been made after five men were captured on video rampaging through a jewelry store in Toronto, waving weapons and smashing glass display cases.
Pilot proposes to flight attendant girlfriend in front of passengers
A Polish pilot proposed to his flight attendant girlfriend during a flight from Warsaw to Krakow, and she said yes.
Ottawa injects another $36M into fund for those seriously injured or killed by vaccines
The federal government has added $36.4 million to a program designed to support people who have been seriously injured or killed by vaccines since the end of 2020.
Ex-SNC executive sentenced to prison term in bridge bribery case
The RCMP says a former SNC-Lavalin executive has been sentenced to three and a half years in prison in connection with a bribery scheme for a bridge repair contract in Montreal.