Byelections for school commissioners

Candidates can officially put their name in for two Lester B. Pearson School Board byelections as of next Tuesday.

The byelections, set for Oct. 26, were called to replace two commissioners who resigned. Sylvia Di Donato, who was vice-chairman, resigned earlier this month citing personal reasons. She had represented Ward 12 (Pierrefonds/Île Bizard) since the 1998 formation of the Pearson board. Ralph Tietjen, who represented Ward 15 (Beaconsfield north), announced in April he was moving to Vancouver for career reasons. He was one of 14 commissioners acclaimed in the November 2007 school board vote.

Any electors in the Pearson school board territory, which runs from Verdun to the Ontario border, can run in either byelection as long as they garner 10 signatures from local voters, said Pearson returning officer Don Taylor, adding there is no cost for candidates to file nomination forms. However, only people living in a particular ward can vote there. So, a parent who happens to send their kids to a school in one of the wards but doesn't live there is not eligible to vote but may run as a candidate in the byelection. Electors in each ward who don’t have kids are eligible to vote but must request (or ensure) their name is included on the English school board list.

As for election spending limits, which are based on the number of voters in each ward, the maximum usually runs from $4,000 to $5,000, Taylor said.

The new commissioners' mandate will last about three years before the next general board elections, which are scheduled every four years, though Quebec is proposing changes by then that will see a reduction in the number of commissioners, more parent representation and the direct election of the chairman, Taylor said.

As for the byelections, candidates can file their nomination papers from Sept. 16 to 21. Revisions to the voters' list, barring any acclamations, will be held between Sept. 27 and Oct. 7.

For more information, check www2.lbpsb.qc.ca, e-mail elections@lbpsb.qc.ca or call 514-780-VOTE (8683). .