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PA RT Y F O R T H E P C C C
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Council asks to waive byelection JANIS CLEUGH jcleugh@tricitynews.com
An acrobatic performer greets visitors to the grand opening celebrations of the new $132-million Port Coquitlam Community Centre last Saturday. The event featured live entertainment and music, as well as speeches from dignitaries and an opportunity to try out some of the facilities. For more photos, go to Page 9. JENNIFER GAUTHIER/THE TRI-CITY NEWS
Coquitlam voters will not head to the polls this winter, if city council gets its way. Monday, council-in-committee unanimously voted to write a letter to B.C.’s minister of municipal affairs to waive the requirement for a byelection. Under the provincial Local Government Act, a byelection has to be held as soon as possible if a municipal council seat is open before Jan. 1 in the year of the general election. With Bonita Zarrillo out following her federal win last month — and with the next general election about a year away — Coun. Dennis Marsden said it’s not reasonable for residents to return to the ballot box given the timing, costs and health restrictions during the pandemic. The 2013 byelection, in which Zarrillo and Coun. Chris Wilson clinched their seats, cost taxpayers around
$200,000, city staff said. Zarrillo formally tendered her resignation to the city last Friday after she was elected as the NDP MP for Port Moody-Coquitlam. Marsden also argued that holding a byelection so close to a general election would be difficult for candidates to raise funds given the new campaign financing rules. In addition, he said, the winner would have less than eight months on council, if they assumed their position in mid-March. “To me, it doesn’t make much sense,” said Coun. Teri Towner, noting voter fatigue with recent provincial and federal races, as well as the low turnout for byelections. But while byelections are hard to hold during the winter, they’re also part of democracy, Wilson countered, adding that civic politicians who get elected to another government level offer “a benefit” to the municipality with local knowledge.