Ts’il Kaz Koh First Nation (TKK) members will soon be going back to the polls.
In a rare electoral event, the previous election for chief was nullified and a new one ordered.
The list of candidates includes three final challengers for the single position of elected chief. They are, alphabetically: Rick Favelle, Barry Tibbett, Wesley Sam.
“The election will be held at the administration office Gathering Place on Dec. 19, 2022 from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.,” said a statement issued by OneFeather election and voting services, the company facilitating the election.
There will be no advance poll but mail-in ballots will be accepted as long as the ballot arrives on or before the date of election. A ballot request can be made by contacting OneFeather’s Lawrence Lewis by land-mail, 209-852 Fort Street, Victoria, BC, V8W1H8, email support@onefeather.ca or call toll free 1-855-923-3006 before Dec. 13.
The need for an election was triggered by the court-ordered removal of previous Chief Councillor Clayton Charlie who came to the position via election held in April 2021. The results of that election were disputed. According to court files, TKK elector Kelsey Lorentz issued an application to contest the election on the grounds that it was conducted in contravention of the First Nations Elections Act, and that the contravention was likely to affect the result. It alleged improper practices by Charlie and that election’s Electoral Officer Loreen Suhr. Charlie surpassed his next two closest challengers by a combined three votes.
“The electoral officer’s reliance on Mr. Charlie deputized him such that Mr. Charlie was acting both as a candidate for office and as an integral part of the electoral process, in the capacity of a deputy electoral officer,” said Lorentz’s document of claim. “This conflation of candidate and electoral officer raises a serious appearance of conflict of interest. This is exacerbated by the fact that Mr. Charlie was delivering voting packages and collecting marked ballots at the same time, thereby requiring electors to vote in his presence or immediate vicinity.”
On Sept. 8, Supreme Court Justice Paul Favel agreed that the process was questionable enough to quash the results and trigger a by-election. Calling it a “historic day…in the spirit of transparency and forward momentum,” sitting Councillors Ellen Lorentz and Cecelia Sam jointly executed a resolution to hold this by-election.