Qalipu Election 2021

Chief

Vice-Chief (Central)

Vice-Chief (Western)

Benoit’s Cove

Corner Brook

Exploits

Flat Bay

Gander Bay

Glenwood

Port au Port

Stephenville

St. George’s

Election Day has been set for October 22, 2021. Voters are reminded that voting, however, takes place over the course of a window of time and votes can be cast between October 14-22 online or over the phone. All votes will be counted and the election will end on October 22.

Opening August 30, 2021 8:30AM and Closing September 10, 2021 at 12:00PM

In accordance with the Custom Rules Governing Qalipu Mi’kmaq First Nation Band Elections, nominations are invited for the positions of Chief, Central Vice Chief, Western Vice Chief, and Councilor for the following Electoral Wards: Flat Bay, St. George’s, Stephenville, Port au Port, Benoit’s Cove, Corner Brook, Exploits, Glenwood, Gander Bay.

Nomination forms are available for download at www.qalipu.ca or at the Corner Brook band office at 3 Church Street. Completed nomination forms must be returned to the Corner Brook office either by postage mail or hand delivered. A nonrefundable fee of $25.00 shall be submitted with the nomination papers in the form of money order, bank draft, cheque, or cash. Nominations are to be received no later than 12:00PM on September 10, 2021 and will be considered as filed with the Electoral Officer for the purpose of the Band Election to be held on October 22, 2021.

Members can view the Electoral Voters List at the Corner Brook Office or on the band webpage at www.qalipu.ca to confirm their eligibility to vote.

Carol Lahey
Electoral Officer
clahey@qalipu.ca
709-630-7678

Nomination Forms

Chief

Central Region Vice Chief
Western Region Vice Chief

Benoit’s Cove
Corner Brook
Exploits
Flat Bay
Gander Bay
Glenwood
Port au Port
St. George’s
Stephenville

Your voter package will be sent to you be email (if you have one filed on your Kinu Membership profile here: https://mala.qalipu.ca/ginu/login.aspx). If you have no email on file you will receive your package via your listed home address. If you have no information listen in your Kinu profile or if the information is incorrect you will have access to a voters helpline beginning October 12, 2021.

Please know, if you’re name is highlighted in red, you can still vote! The red indicates you may not have received your voter information package because your address or email was not entered on your Kinu membership profile database. No worries, you can call the election Helpdesk at 1-888-281-8683 for assistance in retrieving your voter information and PIN.

Voters Lists will be undergoing updates to ensure accuracy. Please continue to check and notify us immediately if you believe your Electoral Ward has been assigned in error.

If you have viewed the voters list before the most recent update, you may have to refresh the list in your browser to see the current version.

Along with voting for your elected representatives, there will also be a referendum vote to ask members if they are in favour of moving from a three-year term in office to a four-year term in office for elected Council. If this is passed with a majority “yes” vote, the changes would not come into effect until following the next election in 2024.

Qalipu Chief and Council would like to announce to its members that the position of Electoral Officer has been appointed to Carol Lahey. In this role, Carol will administer the upcoming Band Election for Fall 2021 in accordance with the Custom Rules Governing the Qalipu Mi’kmaq First Nation Band Elections.

Carol Lahey was a Deputy Electoral Officer in both 2012 and 2015 elections and was then appointed Electoral Officer during the last election in 2018. She has become very proficient in her understanding of the Qalipu election process, rules, and procedures. Lahey also brings with her experience working in both provincial and federal elections.

We look forward to another successful election in 2021.

To reach Carol, please email clahey@qalipu.ca or call 709-630-7678

We need your correct mailing address.  Please register your current information by completing the  Voter Registration Form or by updating your Kinu membership profile on your own.

A call for nominations will take place in early September 2021.   Voting will take place over the course of a seven-day window leading up to end of voting and announcement of winners on October 22.

Every Band member who is age 18 + at the date of the election is eligible to vote regardless of their location.

The positions of Chief, Western Vice Chief, Central Vice Chief and Ward Councilors for each of the nine Wards (Flat Bay, St. George’s, Stephenville, Port au Port, Corner Brook, Benoit’s Cove, Grand Falls-Windsor, Glenwood, and Gander Bay).

Voters will vote on the positions of Chief, Vice Chief for their region only, and Ward Councilor for their Ward only.

If the voter does not live in a Ward community, they will have the opportunity to vote in the last Ward community in which they lived.  If the voter has never lived in a Ward community, we will look at substantive community connection to determine your voting Ward.  In most cases, this has been previously determined by data provided during the application process.  For a small number of others who were more recently accepted into the Band, we will ask about your community connection, or the community to which you tie your Mi’kmaq ancestry in order to determine your substantive community connection.

No, voting will be done using a secure PIN that will be sent to you in the mail.  You will then have a seven-day window in which to vote online or over the phone.

During the 2018 election, Qalipu held a referendum vote to amend the Election Code.  75% of voters voted in favour of changing the way we hold elections; instead of mail-in ballots and polling stations, voters will now be asked to vote online or over the phone.

Yes, there will be a toll-free support line you can contact for assistance.  We also expect that the Electoral Officer may put people in place for in-person support at our Band office locations.