PORT HOOD: The special election in district 1 will be held on March 5, and voters will make their mark via the internet or telephone.
During the regular monthly meeting of Inverness Municipal Council on Jan. 6, final approval was given to a bylaw authorizing telephone or internet voting.
It was also determined that nominations for candidates will open Feb. 1 and close Feb. 8, with voting starting on Feb. 24.
“It’s good timing, the way COVID is going right now, that we’re moving in this direction,” Warden Laurie Cranton said. “It allows people to vote right from their homes, and hopefully we’ll get a better voter turn-out, if we have two or more candidates.”
Inverness Finance Director Tanya Tibbo will be the returning officer, while the assistant returning officer is Danita Gillis.
“Everything is the same as the previous election. It would all have to be run in the same manner,” Tibbo noted. “Everything is in line with the previous elections and in compliance with the Municipal Elections Act.”
Council approved a $5,000 funding request from Strait Area Ground Search and Rescue, which will come from Grants to Organizations.
Council also approved a recommendation from District 4 Councillor John MacLennan from the committee of the whole to meet with all search and rescue organizations within the municipality.
Council approved members to sit on various committees.
Peggy MacNeil was approved as a public member of the Joint Police Advisory Committee.
For the Accessibility Advisory Committee, Matthew Rankin was approved as a public member.
Council decided to re-post for additional applications for a public member of the audit committee.
District 6 Councillor Catherine Gillis is council’s newest member of the Eastern District Planning Commission board.
The newest council member of the Municipal Housing Corporation is District 5 Councillor Lynn Chisholm, who will also sit on the Eastern Counties Regional Library Board.
Deputy Warden Bonny MacIsaac is the council member of the Destination Cape Breton Board.
“This is going to go forward until our new councillor comes along,” MacIsaac added.
Council approved a recommendation from its committee of the whole to send letters to Inverness MLA and Deputy Premier Allan MacMaster, who is also the Minister of Finance, as well as the Minister of Public Works, to set up a meeting.
Following the meeting, Cranton said the municipality wants to speak with MacMaster to discuss local priorities.
“We want to catch up his thoughts on our county because he’s part of the county as well, just to develop that dialogue more,” he said. “We just want to set up a meeting with him, do a roundtable discussion with council, discuss any issues that councillors may have.”
The warden said a big issue across Inverness County surrounds the deterioration of transportation infrastructure like roads, bridges, and highways.
“Transportation, their reasons for not doing certain things is because they don’t have the budget,” the warden told The Reporter.
Along with voicing their concerns, Cranton added this will also give council the opportunity to gain insight from MacMaster.
“We’re fortunate to have an elected MLA in the (Progressive) Conservative government now. He also has a strong portfolio. We want to get his views on what he may or may not be able to do,” Cranton added.