With the municipal election coming up Nov. 10, the Northern Action Group (NAG) is asking town council to take security measures for the mail-in ballots.
In a letter to council, the local group has requested that all mailed-in ballots be held for security purposes either at the post office, the OPP detachment, or BDO Dunwoody in Fort Frances prior to counting on election day.
“The reason is to ensure an honest, unfettered, secured ballot,” wrote Zita Miller, NAG’s secretarytreasurer.
“It is our opinion that the Civic Centre, which produces the voters’ list, and arranges and controls the ballots, should not have control of the voting public’s ballots until such time as the votes are counted.
Period,” she stressed.
“Further to this, we do not believe the clerk or anyone else should separate the secured ballot from the original envelope sent in by each voter until such time as they are counted,” Miller added.
“We do not believe the ballots are fully secured in the Civic Centre when that safe is opened at any time [for] civic requirements or after Civic Centre hours by administration.
“In closing, we are not making accusations. We simply request full security and trust of a sacred ballot,” Miller wrote.
Clerk Glenn Treftlin is expected to address this matter at tonight’s regular council meeting.
NAG also has submitted a request for information about the River Walk condominium project.
In a letter to mayor and council, the group is demanding the town divulge:
•the total taxpayer cost of the project from the start to present day;
•who previously owned the land it is built upon;
•how many units still need to be sold; and
•will the unsold units result in a tax increase for local taxpayers? With council’s agreement, this item will be forwarded to the Administration and Finance executive committee for a recommendation, with a response to council to come at a later date.
Tonight’s council meeting starts at 6:10 p.m., with the committee of the whole meeting first downstairs at 5:30. It will be in-camera until 5:40 p.m.
Other business at tonight’s council meeting will include:
•an activities report and direct services invoice from Geoff Gillon, economic development officer with the Rainy River Future Development Corp.;
•a bylaw to approve a letter of engagement with Wescott Thomas as executive search consultant for purposes of finding candidates for the position of CAO for the town;
•a bylaw to authorize an amendment to an encroachment agreement between the town and Fort Frances Non-Profit Innovative Homes Inc.;
•a request from the Economic Development Advisory Committee for support of its resolution for continuance of the contract with the Rainy River Future Development Corp. (from 2003-06);
•discussion of the Fort Frances Power Corp. and issues related to the utility’s occupancy in the Civic Centre; and
•a request from Margaret Dupuis regarding the purchase of town property identified as Lot 114 Plan- SM50 and a portion of the neighbouring property.
Fort Frances Times
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