Lethbridge officials confident elections can take place safely during pandemic
Federal and municipal returning officers are confident they can provide safe elections for voters and workers in the coming months.
Southern Albertans will be voting twice, casting a ballot in the federal election Sept. 20 and returning to the polls for the municipal election Oct. 18.
For local returning officers, they will be the first elections since the beginning of the pandemic.
"It’ll definitely be a safe environment," said David Walters, returning officer for the federal Lethbridge riding.
"We’ve received pandemic protocol manuals and we’ll follow all the protocols necessary to make sure there’s a safe environment to vote, and also for poll workers."
Summer election preparations in Lethbridge, Aug. 26, 2021
REDUCED RISK
Voters can expect a number of changes to reduce the risk from COVID-19. For example, in the Lethbridge riding Elections Canada will not be using schools for poling locations. Instead, they have increased the number of facilities and will be moving the polling stations farther apart to allow for safe distancing. Elections Canada says the use of schools as election facilities will vary from riding to riding, depending on discussions with local school divisions.
Walters said there would also be two "mega-polls" in Lethbridge, including one at Exhibition Park where there will be 34 ballot boxes.
"They have a large facility there, we know that we can make it safe," added Walters.
The other mega-poll will be located at the YMCA building in west Lethbridge where there will be 14 voting stations.
With only 36 days to prepare for the snap election, Elections Canada has put out a call for people to work at the polling stations on Sept. 20.
"I want to really encourage people come down and apply to be a poll worker," said Walters.
"Some people may be a little hesitant but we need to hire in a very short time over 700 people."
Applications are being accepted at the Elections Canada office in Lethbridge at 640 13 Street North.
Walters said it is difficult to know what to expect because of the pandemic and disruptions to the economic environment due to the pandemic.
He said they have hired enough workers for the advance polls Sept. 10-13, but still need to hire over 500 workers to work at the polls on Election Day.
MUNICIPAL ELECTION
The city of Lethbridge is also hiring for the Municipal Election that will be held a month later. Deputy City Clerk David Sarsfield said the city needed to hire about 300 people. However, he does not see it as a competition for election workers.
"Most of the people who work the federal and municipal elections just work for the one day, the election itself," said Sarsfield.
"So it (federal election) gets them excited about the process, and they can have two chances to work."
According to Sarsfield the city will make a final decision on pandemic protocols later, based on COVID-19 cases in October.
However, a number of changes are planned to help keep the election safe, including a drive-through polling location at Exhibition Park for voters who are concerned about COVID-19.
"People stay in the car, and cast their ballot in the car," added Sarsfield.
There will be 14 polling locations for the municipal election on Oct. 18 and residents will be able to cast their ballot wherever it is most convenient.
The city will also be launching a web tool for monitoring lineups and wait times at each voting location.
"We’ve tried to deal with whatever the COVID-19 situation may be," added Sarsfield.
He said some decisions around protocols might not be made until election day, adding the city wants to make the election safe for both voters and election workers.
Correction
The original version indicated Elections Canada would not hold polling stations in schools. While polling stations in the Lethbridge riding will not be located in schools, schools may be utilized in other ridings.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
What weather experts say to expect this summer in Canada
Get ready to feel the heat, Canada. Weather experts are predicting more sunshine and warmer temperatures for the summer.
New COVID-19 subvariants become the dominant strains in Canada
More than four years after COVID-19 effectively shut down the world, two new variants of COVID-19 have become the dominant strains of the novel coronavirus in Canada.
Israel sends tanks into Rafah on raids amid Gaza-wide offensive
Israeli tanks mounted raids across Rafah in defiance of the World Court for a second day on Wednesday, after Washington said the assault did not amount to a major ground operation in the southern Gazan city that U.S. officials have warned Israel to avoid.
Five more Ontario school boards join lawsuit against social media platforms
Five additional Ontario school boards and two independent private schools have joined a lawsuit against the owners of multiple social media platforms, including Snapchat, TikTok, and Facebook.
P.E.I. kiteboarder 'lucky to be alive' after shark attack in Turks and Caicos
A professional kiteboarder from P.E.I. says he has been seriously injured in a shark attack that occurred while he was snorkelling in the Turks and Caicos Islands last week.
'Unruly passenger' forces WestJet flight to make emergency landing in B.C.
A WestJet flight heading to Calgary had to make an emergency landing in northern B.C. Monday due to an incident involving an 'unruly passenger,' Mounties say.
In bizarre provocation, North Korea flies trash, manure balloons over the South
North Korea flew hundreds of balloons carrying trash and manure toward South Korea in one of its most bizarre provocations against its rival in years, prompting the South’s military to mobilize chemical and explosive response teams to recover objects and debris in different parts of the country.
Introducing peanut butter during infancy can help protect against a peanut allergy later on, new study finds
New evidence suggests that feeding children smooth peanut butter during infancy and early childhood can help reduce their risk of developing a peanut allergy even years later.
'It was hell': Israeli mother held hostage with her children describes 51 days in captivity
Hagar Brodutch, her three children and four-year-old neighbour were kidnapped by Hamas-led militants from their home in Kfar Aza, Israel on Oct. 7 and held for 51 days. They were released in November, but Brodutch says her thoughts are never far from those still being held in Gaza.