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Tag: GFPID trustees

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On June 4th there was a well-attended All-Candidates Meeting for the 2025 Election of GFPID trustees. The meeting was held at the AGI Hall and facilitated by Gabriola Talks. The Sounder News will have a full report on the meeting, which we will link to as soon as it is published. This is the first of a series of blog posts documenting the questions and responses at the ACM.

QUESTION 1

In 2022 the GFPID’s own governance review made dozens of recommendations to improve transparency and accountability, including limiting trustees to two consecutive terms of three years. I served on that committee, and I can say that very few recommendations have been implemented. Yet the Chair, now seeking a third term, recently told the Sounder that all the recommendations have been dealt with. That is simply not true. The same trustee was also the subject of a non-confidence vote by the Firefighters Association, which I was a member of at the time. As elected officials, what will each of you do to ensure the recommendations are followed, and how will you keep the public informed of your progress?

...continue reading "All Candidates Meeting – Question 1"

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The Sounder has published a set of Q+As sent to the six candidates running for election as trustees of the Gabriola Fire Protection Improvement District (GFPID). Three positions are open.

The six questions asked:

  1. What makes you an ideal candidate to be a Fire Board Trustee?
  2. What changes – if any – would you want to make to the current 10-year long-range plan?
  3. Are there any recommendations from the Brownlee and Governance reviews you think should be implemented by the Fire Board?
  4. What can local governments like Improvement Districts do to work towards the goals and recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Report?
  5. Should Fire Trustee elections have advance-voting options available?
  6. Any other statement you want to make with respect to this election and the GFPID?

If you read this on the day of publication—don't forget the All Candidates Meeting, hosted by Gabriola Talks on Wednesday, June 4th, at 7pm at the Agi Hall.

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The Improvement District Manual states on page 19:

Voter Eligibility

Persons entitled to vote at an election must meet all of the following requirements:

    • A Canadian citizen.
    • Eighteen years of age, or older.
    • An owner of land in the improvement district.
    • A resident of the province for the prior six months, or legal representative of an owner of land in the improvement district who has died, become insolvent or insane.

One vote is also allowed for each board or corporation that owns land within the improvement district. The board or corporation must designate one person to act as an authorized agent to vote on its behalf. This should be done in writing so the returning officer can verify the vote.

If more than one person is registered on title as a landowner, each one can vote as long as they also meet the other qualifications.

However, no person can have two votes unless they meet the qualifications to be an elector and are also an agent authorized to vote on behalf of a board or corporation.

On p21 the Manual adds:

It should be noted that only persons attending the election, and meeting the eligibility requirements, are entitled to vote. Persons not attending the election in person cannot vote by proxy.

NOTES:

  • The use of supplementary voting procedures for GFPID elections has been under discussion for some time—the minutes from March 2023 state, "Absentee ballots: Trustees stated no change for this year; will require a lot more time to set up"—but no changes have been implemented.
  • Mail-in voting for RDN elections is mandated and regulated by the the RDN 2018 General Local Election Bylaw.

Election date:

The Annual General Meeting of the Gabriola Fire Protection Improvement District (GFPID) will be held on June 18th, 2025, at 7 pm at Fire Hall #1 on Church Street. Polls for the election of Trustees will be open from 12 noon to 7 pm at the Church Street Fire Hall.

The GFPID is an autonomous local government body responsible for providing fire protection services. As with all democratic government bodies, residents in a community express their opinions by voting for representatives—this is your opportunity to have your say. We encourage all Gabriola residents to attend the AGM and vote (if allowed by law to do so).

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Yes, there will be an election.

There are three open positions for the Gabriola Fire Protection Improvement District Board of Trustees. As reported in the May 28th edition of the Sounder News, six candidates have filed to stand in the election on June 18th, which means that a vote will be held. The candidates are:

  • Chris Bowers
  • Oliver Bussler (former firefighter)
  • David Chorneyko (former firefighter)
  • Paul Giffin (standing for re-election)
  • Rick Jackson (former Fire Chief)
  • Wayne Mercier

Mark your calendar:

  • An All Candidates Meeting has been scheduled to be hosted by Gabriola Talks on Wednesday, June 4th, at 7pm at the Agi Hall.
  • Election polls are open: June 18th, 12 noon to 7 pm, at Fire Hall #1 on Church Street
  • Annual General Meeting of the Gabriola Fire Protection Improvement District: June 18th, 7 pm, at Fire Hall #1 on Church Street

We will post links and more information as we receive them.

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The annual general meeting of the Gabriola Fire Protection Improvement District (GFPID) will be held on June 18th, 2025, specific times TBA. There will be no advance poll or mail-in ballots for absentees.

Voter requirements (Letters Patent): "At any general meeting every person shall be qualified to vote who is a Canadian citizen, is eighteen years old or older and is an owner of land in the improvement district." (There are also provisions extending voting rights to agents of land-owning businesses and representatives of incapacitated individuals.)

The GFPID Letters Patent provide for seven (7) Trustees, elected for 3-year terms. As per information received at the time of writing, there will be 3 Trustee positions open for election at this AGM, and the Board will soon put out a Call for Nominations. If the number of nominations received match the number of open positions or are fewer, the candidates will be elected by acclamation. If more candidates than openings stand for office an election will be held at the AGM and the meeting will continue until results are tallied and announced.

We will post more info as we receive it; watch for GFPID Chronicles for news.

The GFPID is an autonomous local government body responsible for providing fire protection services. As with all democratic government bodies, residents in a community express their opinions by voting for representatives—this is your opportunity to have your say. We encourage all Gabriola residents to attend the AGM and vote (if allowed by law to do so).

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Updated week of May 18th:

  • Q+A: question about mail-in or advance poll voting, questions about the proposed addition of a third Fire Chief position (2025-07 Trustees meeting).
  • Info + Resources: added David Chorneyko's letter to the editor explaining why he recommends conversion to RDN management (and announcing that he will stand as a candidate for election to the Board of Trustees for the Gabriola Fire Protection Improvement District).