STEPHEN RICCIO
PONTIAC Nov. 13, 2020
On Nov. 13, Quebec Education Minister Jean-François Roberge announced in a letter that English school board elections will proceed in-person on Dec. 19-20, despite warnings from both local and provincial school board leaders that the current state of COVID-19 makes the process a health risk.
Locally, the Western Quebec School Board (WQSB) has only one contested electoral division to run an election in: Ward eight, which is located within Gatineau. This election, which features . . .
candidates Chris Schaler and Kevin Shaar facing off, was initially scheduled for Nov. 1 but was suspended on Oct. 7 by a provincial decree.
WQSB Chairman Alain Guy said he was disappointed to see the elections scheduled in December not only because of the risks of COVID-19 transmission, but also due to the scheduling of it five days before Christmas.
“The initial elections were halted because of the pandemic and now the situation has become, perhaps I wouldn’t say any better, I think it’s probably the same,” Guy said. “The government has decided to move ahead … to me it’s a little bit of a lack of respect for the electoral process.”
He said that candidates should be able to remain at a distance from people as they canvass and campaign, but the issue of much of the region facing steadily rising COVID-19 rates remains.
Last week, Quebec English School Board Association (QESBA) President Dan Lamoureux sent an open letter for Roberge to The Equity voicing his dissatisfaction with the lack of consultation and consideration from the government.
Lamoureux stated in the letter that the QESBA met with provincial officials on Nov. 6 to discuss an appropriate election date. While the QESBA informed the government that they felt June would be best as long as COVID-19 conditions have subsided, the province did not suggest that there was a chance that the elections would be rescheduled for December.
Guy said that the QESBA, which advocates on behalf of all English school boards, reached out to the WQSB asking for their input before the Nov. 13 announcement was delivered. Its input was that it was not the right time for in-person elections.
“This government does not believe in discussion, consultation or anything,” Guy said. “They just decide at the last minute, we were informed on [Nov. 13] at the last minute — at 5 o’clock just about — that this was going to happen.”
“It’s not the ideal situation and we feel that the government could have waited until at least after Christmas,” he added.
Along with the Ward eight election, the WQSB will be holding a byelection in January for Ward five, which includes Chelsea and Cantley.
“We hope that we’ll have a candidate … and hopefully the health conditions will be much better than it is now, and better timing,” he said.
Commissioners in the other nine wards have all been elected by acclamation as each area only had one candidate run for the position.
Voting in each ward is restricted to those who live within that area. For those who intend on voting in the December elections, the majority will have to vote in-person at the Hull Adult Education Centre. People who are not listed as valid electors can sign up by appointment on either Nov. 30 or Dec. 1 at the WQSB’s office on 15 rue Katimavik in Gatineau. Further information is available on the board website.
There is also a list of those who meet the criteria to vote by mail on the board website, and it mainly consists of those who live in care facilities or those who meet certain COVID-19 related markers.
