While the U.S. election will still be held next month, another vote closer to home has been postponed due to COVID-19.
Like their American counterparts, Beausoleil First Nation (BFN) voters had also been slated to go to the polls in November. However, council recently voted to delay the election until life returns to some semblance of normalcy.
“It wasn’t an easy decision,” said BFN administrator A. Dan Monague said, adding council voted three to three about the delay and seeking a six-month term extension.
"It was a split vote with the chief (Guy Monague) having to break the tie. They have the ability under the Indian Act to postpone the election as well as advance their term for six months, beyond their normal (term).”
The band council had already postponed the election earlier this spring and extended the council term until January 6, 2021.
Now, the council has again decided to make a similar move as the second wave of COVID-19 hits the province.
Monague said the election slated for Nov. 28 would have attracted voters, who don’t reside on the island, so council opted to be proactive by ensuring the safety and security of permanent residents remained a primary concern.
“We have members that reside in Ottawa, Toronto everywhere,” he said. “And so that's the main reason why they postponed it. They don't want the possibility of COVID-19 being transmitted from somebody who's coming to vote at the polls.
"There's no guarantee as to where these people would go in the village. So it was with an abundance of caution, obviously, and it was not an easy decision.”
The election will now occur sometime between Jan. 6 and next June, according to Monague, who noted council's term hasn't yet been extended.
“This is something that they have to do with Indian Affairs and I imagine they’'ll be doing that prior to January 6th. They would extend their term for another six months and they could only do that twice, so they can do it one more time.”
Visitors are again allowed on the island, but must follow screening protocols before boarding the ferry to Christian Island from the mainland.
But Monague warned that could change should the virus become a greater threat in the area.
“As far as community safety goes, we have different levels in our village, according to our emergency response plan,” he said. “We're currently on level two and we may be dropping back down to level three, which would mean the restriction of all persons attending the island.”
