October 24th is election day for all municipalities across Ontario. As a Bob Lake property owner you have the right to vote and have a say on who will form the next Council for the Township of Minden Hills. Bob Lake represents well over 400 potential votes when you count up all the co-owners on title across our 230+ lakefront properties – that represents more than 10% of the total votes cast in the 2018 election!! Our voting power has significant influence on what our next Council will look like. This is a huge opportunity for Bob Lakers to help shape our local government to better support the key issues that matter to us – restoration of our public boat launch to name just one!!

This year promises to bring a significant and positive change to Council, with several members that have proven to be the least supportive to our causes not running for re-election. While both the Mayor and Deputy Mayor positions have been acclaimed this year by Bob Carter and Lisa Schell respectively, the race for Ward 1 (the majority of Bob Lake) and Councillor at Large are wide open with all new faces!!

The information below is intended to help with the following:

• Ensure you’re on the registered voter list
• Explain how and when to vote (you can vote by Internet or telephone – so it doesn’t matter where you are!)
• Provide a list of candidates running for Ward 1 and Councillor at Large (the only races that we can influence) along with some background information on each
• Responses to a list of questions sent from the BLA to candidates running for Ward 1 and Councillor at Large

Voter Registration List

It’s important to check to see if you’re on the registered voter list for Township of Minden Hills – without that you won’t be able to vote. If you are receiving property tax bills, then you should be on the voter registration list with the correct information for receiving your voting information letter and PIN (see sample here). If you are unsure, you can visit the Voter Help and Revision Centre – see Minden Hills Voter Information website for more details.

How and When to Vote

The Township of Minden Hills offers three different methods of voting: Internet, Telephone, and traditional Paper Ballot. The Internet and Telephone voting methods that have been available for the past few elections have meant seasonal cottage owners can easily participate with convenience and comfort from anywhere!

The voting letter you should receive by mail has a lot useful information – see this sample voting letter already received by a BLA Board Member (on Sept 27).

Election day is Monday October 24th with advance voting starting on Saturday October 8th. Paper ballot voting is open from 10am – 6pm on the advance voting day and from 10am – 8pm on election day at the community center (55 Parkside St. Minden). Internet and Telephone voting is available 24×7 starting on October 8th at 10am and running through until October 24th at 8pm – ample time for even the busiest of schedules!

Remember – everyone listed on title for your property is an eligible voter, so more than one vote per property is very possible. Make sure you take full advantage of that! Most importantly – be sure to vote!! The BLA will send a reminder as we approach voting day.

List of Candidates

With both Mayor and Deputy Mayor positions having been acclaimed, our voting will be limited to the two Ward 1 seats and single Councillor at Large seat. There are a total of four candidates in the running for the two Ward 2 positions, and two candidates competing for the Councillor at Large seat.

Contact information for all candidates can be found on the Minden Hills Election website. The Highlander has done a great job over the past couple of weeks with publishing profiles and interviews of all candidates. Check out these Highlander extracts for Ward 1 and Councillor at Large candidates.

The Highlander has made all their interviews with candidates available as individual podcasts! What a great resource for getting to know the candidates better! Listen to any of the interviews using the links below:

• Trevor Chaulk – Councillor at Large
• Tammy McKelvey – Councillor at Large
• Ivan Ingram – Ward 1
• Mike Grozelle – Ward 1
• Shirley Johannessen – Ward 1
• Richard Bradley – Ward 1

Note that an “All Candidates” meeting sponsored by the Minden Rotary Club was held at the community center on October 3. The audio from that event was recorded and expected to be published on either the Rotary Club or Canoe FM website in the coming days. A link to that will be posted here when available.

Candidate Responses to BLA Questions

The BLA has reached out to the four Ward 1 and two Councillor at Large candidates to introduce ourselves and pose specific questions on matters we know are important to Bob Lake property owners. The following is a list of the questions sent. Responses can be found on our Candidate Responses webpage.

1. Other than your profile published in The Highlander, do you have a website or any documentation you would like to share that describes your background, experience, and platform on key matters you feel are a priority? This is important for those who cannot attend candidate debates.
2. Are you familiar with our struggles working with the past two Councils on trying to restore public boat launch access on Bob Lake? If not, you can read the full story on our website.
3. What is your position on public boat launch access to lakes in Minden Hills and the Township’s responsibility in maintaining these?
4. Would you help support the BLA in finding a solution to our public boat launch that was taken away after several decades of being declared “public” and maintained by the Township? If so, do you have any thoughts to share on what specifically that support would look like?