Candidates announced in Town by-election

Times Photo by Meg Noguchi SIGN: The election sign on 50 Avenue.

By Heather Cameron
Taber Times
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

A large field of candidates have thrown their hats into the ring for the Town of Taber by-election on September 7.

According to Chief Returning Officer, Jeanne Rudolf, the by-election is being held because former Councillor Alf Rudd resigned in late June.

“As per the Municipal Government Act Section 162, ‘A council must hold a by-election to fill a vacancy on council’.” Rudolf said. “The by-election is a legal requirement all municipalities must follow unless the vacancy occurs within 18 months before a general election. The next election is not until October 2025, therefore the Town was required to fill this vacancy to allow for the citizens of Taber to be served by a full complement of elected officials.”

Nomination Day, Rudolf says, was on August 10 and the list was made official on August 11. Now, seven locals are in the running: Cat Champagne, Ian Croft, Mike Krchnak, Mani Parhar, Daniel Remfert, Dale Tilleman and Naomi Wiebe. Rudolf says that as per the Local Authorities Election Act, only citizens who reside within the municipal boundaries of the Town of Taber can run in a municipal election for the Town.

“Campaigns may be conducted any time after a candidate is officially nominated and until Election Day, though the Town of Taber does not conduct or assist with any individual campaigns,” Rudolf said.

The actual Election Day, Rudolf says, will be on the aforementioned date of Thursday, September 7 from 10 A.M. to 8 P.M. at the Taber Community Centre Auditorium. For more information about the election, including Advanced Voting dates, visit: http://www.taber.ca/election.

“The elected will hold the role of Councillor, and their duties will be the same as the other six members of Council. Decisions on the committees, boards, and commissions they will sit upon will not be decided until the Organizational Meeting of Council in October 2023,” Rudolf said.