Nunavut election brings new faces to government amid disappointing voter turnout
CBC
Fewer than half of the 14,000 eligible Nunavut voters turned out Monday to elect new members of their legislative assembly, the sixth since the creation of the territory in 1999.
Unofficial numbers showed turnout at 49.91 per cent territory-wide, down from 63.3 per cent in 2017, but higher than the 34 per cent in the latest federal election.
The low turnout was what grabbed the attention of former Nunavut government ministers and MLAs Ed Picco and Elisapee Sheutiapik as they watched the election results at the Grind and Brew restaurant in Iqaluit.
"Shocking" is how Sheutiapik described the low turnout.
"Maybe it was due to COVID-19," suggested Picco.
When Picco first ran for a seat in the Nunavut assembly in 1999, the overall voter turnout in the new territory's general election reached 88.6 per cent.
"This election I found to be very competitive with lots of signage and candidates hosting events and going door-to-door," Picco said.
But countering apathy among voters will be a major challenge for the next government, the two veteran elected officials agreed.
WATCH | A look at the key issues in the Nunavut election:
Back in 1999, the Nunavut legislative assembly had not yet been built.
As well, there were more dreams for the new territory than harsh realities, like the persistent housing crisis and Iqaluit's contaminated water system, which dominated political discussion in the run-up to the vote.
The 1999 election was different in other ways, Picco recalled. It took place during the frigid month of February.
On Monday, the weather remained unseasonably warm in many Nunavut communities. There was only a sprinkling of snow around Iqaluit as voters cast votes in four polling stations.
But the turnout was lacklustre.
A Brampton lawyer allegedly connected to fugitive Ryan Wedding was granted bail Tuesday morning by the Ontario Superior Court of Justice.
Rankin Inlet hamlet councillors recently passed a motion that has had them avoid drinking alcohol for the 12 days leading up to Christmas, with the goal of setting a positive example for the community.
Jason Jacques says he learned a lot about the importance of choosing his words carefully in his first few months as the interim parliamentary budget officer (PBO).
Durham police say a man is dead after suffering multiple stab wounds in Oshawa Tuesday morning.
An internal review of technical outages that caused significant delays at airports and international land borders this fall has exposed critical flaws with the Canada Border Services Agency's IT services.
Two people are in life-threatening condition after being pulled from a house fire in Scarborough Tuesday morning, according to Toronto Fire Services.
Whenever the door opens at the British Grenadier Bookshop, proprietor Steve Douglas doesn’t know who is going to walk through.
A northeastern Ontario potato farmer says he’s shipping more bags of potatoes to southern Ontario to make up for waning demand.
Halifax’s registry of rental properties is now available to the public online, showing what HRM staff believe are the “bulk” of rentals in the city.
A New Brunswick tenant says he’s being pushed out of his rented bungalow as retribution for complaining about his landlord, but his landlord says she’s the victim of an unfair tenancy tribunal ruling that is preventing her from using the unit to house family.
Snow and freezing rain could affect morning commutes on Tuesday, according to a special weather statement issued by Environment Canada.
Daniel Jolivet, 68, had his first taste of freedom this weekend after spending the last 33 years behind bars.
Peguis First Nation is suing former chief Glenn Hudson over allegations he failed to act in the best interest of the band and financially benefitted from breaches of duty — including claims that he enriched himself, his family and supporters.