Moose Jaw residents head to polls for byelection to decide next mayor

On Wednesday, Moose Jaw’s first mayoral byelection, with nine candidates running, is taking place.

Voting numbers from four days of advanced polls show 2,011 people have already cast ballots.

“I think that was a little bit more than what was expected,” said Moose Jaw city manager Jim Puffalt.

“I think, generally, a byelection has less people coming out and I think what we’re finding is that with that many people running, there’s a lot of interest and so that was a really good turn out,” he added.

The byelection was called in mid-August when former mayor Fraser Tolmie stepped down from the role to run in the federal election with the Conservative party. Tolmie won his seat in the federal election in September.

Here are the nine candidates in the race:

• Crystal Froese
• Mike Simpkins
• Wayne Watermanuk
• Brett McAuley
• Sam Morrison
• Michael Haygarth
• Clive Tolley
• Heather Eby
• Kim Robinson

Three of the candidates are currently members of council: Froese, Eby, and Robinson.

If one of the current council members wins the race, then another byelection will need to be held sometime in the new year in order to fill that councillor’s position.

Clive Tolley, who also has council experience, is in the race as well. He served as a councillor from 1988 to 1991.

The remaining candidates have a range of experience, ranging from entrepreneurship to aviation.

Voting stations will be open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Wednesday and free transit will be made available.

Fixed route service will be extended until 8:30 pm on all routes to accommodate people voting in the evenings.

Voters who are still in line when the polls close, will be able to cast their ballots.

City officials say extra polling stations have been added this year to help accommodate COVID-19 safety measures that will be taking place.

The city said the provincial mask policy applies to all public indoor spaces and will remain in effect until further notice.

Voters are asked to keep physical distance by staying two metres (six feet) apart. Hand sanitizer will be available at all polls. Additionally, surfaces in the polls will be disinfected throughout the day.

Voters who feel unwell on byelection day are asked to stay home.

There are four four polling stations:

• MJ Exhibition Convention Centre – 250 Thatcher Dr. E.
• Church of Our Lady – 566 Vaughan St.
• Cosmo Senior Centre – 235 3rd Ave NE
• Minto United Church – 1036 7th Ave. NW.

To find the station where you should vote, use the interactive poll map on the City’s byelection page: MooseJaw.ca/2021ByElection.

A polling map is also posted at the entrance to city hall.

Residents can follow along Wednesday night as results are posted at election.moosejaw.ca. Results will be available after 8 p.m.