Islanders in over 50 communities will head to the polls for the municipal election on Nov. 2, but for those living in the Town of Souris, it’ll be just another day.
The entire council, including the mayor, has already been elected by acclamation, meaning no one else ran against them.
Souris is only one example among many areas in the province where there’s a lack of competition for municipal seats.
LISTEN | Why aren’t more Islanders running in municipal elections?:
This is PEI10:01 Why aren’t more Islanders running in municipal elections?
Some municipalities were close calls, while smaller villages on the Island are struggling to find candidates for local office. We look into why attracting individuals to local politics can be challenging.
There are 400 positions available across 56 municipalities, yet many have already been filled unopposed. According to P. E. I.’s unofficial election results, all positions in 27 municipalities have been acclaimed.
Satya Sen, executive director of the Federation of P. E. I. Municipalities, mentioned that reforms are needed to draw more people into local politics.
“Most of these smaller municipalities do not adequately pay or councillors are not remunerated well,” he said.
“People are not politicians in the sense of provincial politics or federal politics. They’re community leaders in many ways.”
“These are voluntary positions but sometimes the work is beyond what is described in the black letters of law,” he added, referring to smaller, rural communities.
“You’re taking calls from residents at odd hours. [Hearing out] their complaints about things in the municipality that they have to deal with on a day-to-day basis, constituency work, ward work.”
Sen also pointed out that potential candidates should better understand how local governments operate so they know what they’re getting into – both regarding workload and challenges ahead.
“There are barriers for people of colour and women politicians; [there is] constant harassment towards local officials over various issues that need addressing,” he said.
Sen noted that confusion among the public about different government responsibilities often leads municipal officials to face significant harassment, adding that even their “family’s not spared.”b4h Xl).completely new text here
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