MOOSE JAW — City council has agreed to support Holy Trinity Catholic School Division’s byelection, but not without some reservations about the cost and the time that city hall staff must dedicate to it.
During its April 7 regular meeting, council unanimously agreed to appoint Dawn Lugrin and Chelsey Domes as associate returning officers for the school division to help it conduct the byelection in the City of Moose Jaw on June 11.
The Local Government Election Act says a school board can formally ask a city to oversee and conduct a byelection to fill this type of vacancy, a council report said. This process would involve steps such as the nomination of candidates, establishing polling places and administering the vote “to ensure a fair and transparent election.”
“The city is committed to upholding the integrity of the school board and serving the community effectively by facilitating this byelection,” the document continued. “The nomination period will be announced shortly, and eligible candidates will be invited to submit their papers in accordance with the guidelines set forth in The Local Government Election Act, 2015.”
The report added that the byelection’s estimated cost is $35,000, and while the city clerk’s election business unit will manage expenses, Holy Trinity will repay all costs to Moose Jaw and the city will incur no expenses.
Coun. Dawn Luhning was pleased that the school division would repay all expenses, while she accepted that the city clerk’s office could handle this event and manage the integrity of the election “in an appropriate way.”
Coun. Heather Eby wondered whether this byelection would add more work for city staff, while she was worried that employees might have to pick up their outstanding everyday duties after the vote.
“Because the Holy Trinity School Division is a smaller school division and specific to the City of Moose Jaw boundaries, it was felt that with some strategic placement for priority (changes) that it could be successfully run,” said Lugrin.
“And those re-prioritizing of items would not have any impact on the operations within the department or within the city itself.”
Coun. Patrick Boyle thought the $35,000 cost was expensive and could be done for less, pointing out that — for much less. Moreover, since only 462 people voted then, he didn’t think too many Catholic voters would “be banging down the door” here.
“For the cost of $35,000, I’m sure you could run your own election, but that’s not our choice … ,” he continued, adding that council regularly talks about what the city should and should not be doing and this byelection may fall in the latter category.
That cost is a maximum estimate based on the 2024 municipal election, along with the time and effort the city clerk’s office may have to expend, said Lugrin. That cost also includes using the three tabulator machines, venue rentals, hiring polling workers and paying honoraria.
Moreover, only one advanced poll is required, while Holy Trinity estimates there are roughly 5,000 Catholic voters in the City of Moose Jaw subdivision, of whom “only … a fraction” will show up, she continued.
Lugrin added that the city clerk’s office would keep the three voting tabulators under lock and key until the election and then again for three months after that event.
City manager Maryse Carmichael said she was confident the city clerk’s office could handle the byelection since it was fully staffed and had acquired experience during the 2024 civic election.
The next regular council meeting is Monday, April 28.
