Hamlet races begin in Deh Cho
No acclamations in Fort Providence, Fort Liard
April Hudson
Northern News Services
Thursday, November 26, 2015
DEH CHO
Mayoral and candidate races will take place in both Fort Liard and Fort Providence this year.
Nominations for hamlet elections closed Nov. 16 with four mayoral candidates in Fort Liard and two in Fort Providence.
Sam Gargan and Rudolph Landry will be vying for the mayoral seat in Fort Providence. Julie Capot Blanc, Mike Gonet, incumbent Morris McLeod and Steven Steeves will be contending for mayor in Fort Liard.
John Choulk was originally a fifth candidate for Fort Liard, but withdrew his name from the list of nominees.
Choulk said he had originally planned to run for a councillor position, but a mix-up in paperwork put his name on the list for mayor.
"As a councillor, I would have been able to make motions on ... changes, but as mayor I would not have that ability," he said, adding he and the mayoral incumbent have similar perspectives and he did not want to split the vote.
Choulk said he plans on bringing some of the issues he believes in, such as openness in government, to the future council, and intends to put his name forward for councillor the next time the hamlet holds an election.
Fort Liard has 10 nominees vying for six councillor positions. Herbert Berreault, Joanne Deneron, Mike Gonet, Eva Hope, Ernest McLeod, Irene McLeod, Morris McLeod, Shawn McLeod, Steven Steeves and Melanie Timbre have all put their names forward.
Despite overlap between mayoral and councillor nominations, returning officer Marie Kotchea confirmed a candidate cannot be elected for both.
Nominations for the District Education Authority will see 12 nominees competing for six spots.
Herbert Berreault, Sylvia Bertrand, Bernard Bonnetrouge, John Chaulk, Janna Deneron, Robert Firth, Kathie Hardisty, Marilyn Marcellais, Barbara McLeod, Irene McLeod, Shawn McLeod and Anthony Tor Nowoselski have all put their names forward.
In Fort Providence, three new councillors will be elected out of 10 nominees: Merlin Bonnetrouge, Veronica Bouvier, Victor Constance, Shirley Gargan, Bertha Landry, Rudolph Landry, Marguerite Levavasseur, Betty-Anne Minova, Helga Sabourin and Wayne Sanderson.
A list of education authority candidates was not available for Fort Providence.
Focus on recreation, withdrawn candidate says
Choulk said Fort Liard has money set aside which can be used to bolster recreation activities, but which is not being accessed as much as it could.
Some of the items he wants the hamlet to move forward on include year-round heating for the community swimming pool and a floor put into the ice rink so it can be used year-round for other sports such as ball hockey.
"Most roads in Liard are not paved, so playing ball hockey on the road like a million other Canadians is almost impossible," he said.
"I've heard councillors and mayors in the past say there's no money for that, but I know the wellness fund is there and it's filled each year to maximum by the territorial government."
As for community safety, narrow roads and the lack of firebreaks in the community are two concerns Choulk has.
As of press time, Choulk was the only candidate to withdraw his name from the list of nominees. Candidates had until Nov. 25 to do so.
The hamlets will go to vote on Dec. 14.
