Accessible Widget

September 21, 2021

Calgary Elections Tool Kit (Where to vote and wow so many candidates... who do I vote for?)

Elections Calgary (the 5w's) Here are some new things we learned about the upcoming Calgary election. (Including free buses) 

Did you know buses will be free for advance polls prior to Election Day and also on Monday, October 18th? Calgary Transit – Use Calgary Transit to go to a voting station during the Advance Vote or on Election Day. Receive two Transit tickets as you exit the voting station. One ticket covers the trip to the voting station. The second ticket covers the trip home.

Why vote? 

Why not? It's easy! 
If you are here... you know why. And if you are not sure... that's ok.. we hope this information might help you decide. 

How do I vote? 

Learn about vote tools to help cast your ballot at the polls! Check out the "Plan my vote" for the Calgary Election

And check out this video on the vote assistance machine!  that will be at the advance poll at a specific location to be announced in the near future!  



Where do I vote?

Links to Elections Calgary website where do I vote using your address.

Mail-in ballots 

will need to be received by Monday, October 18th by 4 pm, for more information about the mail-in ballot process, visit this link

What is on the ballot? 

Besides the mayor, councilor, and school trustees, there are city and provincial questions you might like to answer.Learn about what will be on the ballot (sample version 2 pages). Please also visit The Sprawl's opinion piece  "What's with all the questions on the ballot?"

1. City is looking at fluoride. 

Here are Candidates' positions on fluoride to help you decide.

2. Provincial Referendum Information: 


Picking Senators (for a non-binding election):

As of October 31st, Alberta will have two vacant senate seats.  The Provincial Government would like to recommend three candidates for the Prime Minister to consider (Senators are appointed by the Prime Minister of Canada and not elected by the people of Alberta).  

A link to the candidates on the Elections Alberta Website 13 Senate candidates are registered with Elections Alberta. Nominating the people will take place on October 18, 2021, in conjunction with the 2021 Alberta Municipal Elections.

Some of the senate candidates are affiliated with a federal party, while some are independent. The ballot will ask you to suggest up to 3 candidates out of the 13. Then the Prime Minister and may or may not choose to appoint the people who have been put on the Alberta municipal ballot. It is non-binding. 
Alberta Senators Current and Candidates by Disability Action Hall  


Cross Border Interviews hopes to sit down with Senate candidates during the week of October 3rd to the 10th and you can begin watching the recorded interviews on their youtube channel. 

Equalization


What would a yes or no mean when filling in the circle about equalization? 
Visit the Government Alberta Website here to see the question.

Here are just some of the many opinions from:
  • The Red Deer news article here 
  • Recorded town hall about equalization (June 2021) hosted by Alberta Senator Paula Simons featuring economist Trevor Tombe; Eric Adams, a professor of constitutional law at the University of Alberta; Ken Boessenkool, professor of public policy at McGill University; historian Mary Janigan, author of the new book about the history of equalization, The Art of Sharing; and University of Alberta political scientist Jared Wesley.  

Daylight Savings

Albertans are being asked again about daylight savings. See the Elections Alberta for a chart on the sunrise, sunset across 4 regions of Alberta. A survey conducted last year by Alberta's Service Minister Nate Glubish said 90% of the 140,000 Albertans said to get rid of daylight savings. (Link to CBC article)

There are many opinions about daylight savings and the Alberta Government wants yours. Based on the 2017 committee report where over 13,000 Alberta provided input into the 'Alberta Standard Time Act' (Bill 203) here is how people voted back then:
  • 3,271 people said are in favour of keeping it as is (MST all year round) due to economic concerns, light-related concerns, safety concerns, and out of step with other provinces. (However Premiere Kenney said in July 2021 now that Yukon got rid of it, BC is also exploring getting rid of it as most of the population lives in the South near the US border keeping the same time all year round pending consultation with US neighbors).  
  • 10,090 said to get rid of it due to many reasons such as health concerns, safety concerns, child-related concerns, animal-related concerns, economic considerations, and/or because they consider changing the clocks twice yearly as unnecessary. 
  • While 200 people were undecided, did not understand the question or said it is not the right question (as Alberta is in need of two different time zones because some of Alberta's population aligns better with Saskatchewan (UTC-7 time) and some of the larger cities align better with BC time (UTC-8 time), while northern cities like Fort McMurray would then have sunrises at 3 am.
Despite most people said to get rid of it, The Government of Alberta voted down the Alberta Standard Time Act 46-7 after a committee studied it (Bill 203) on October 31st, 2017. To read the 2017 committee report visit this link. 

Who do I vote for? 

The Calgary Public Library and the City of Calgary have a great vote plan website to walk you through the steps. https://www.planmyvote.ca 



Community Group Forums with Candidates:


Media Interviews with Candidates:


Third-party Groups Endorsing Candidates:



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