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Hamilton Spectator
10 hours ago
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
Newfoundland voters concerned after apparent voter mistakes void hundreds of ballots
ST. JOHN'S - Two voters in Newfoundland say they hope Elections Canada can learn from a dramatic judicial recount that revealed hundreds of people in their riding may have marked their ballots in the wrong spot. Jennifer Barnett says she didn't receive instructions about how to mark her ballot when she voted for Conservative candidate Jonathan Rowe in an advance poll ahead of the April 28 federal election. The rural Newfoundland riding of Terra Nova-The Peninsulas is home to many seniors and others who may have needed more instruction than she received to properly fill in a ballot, Barnett said. 'Being able to vote is such a privilege, and if your vote is spoiled because of a simple error, I think it's very sad,' the 43-year-old said in a recent interview. 'I think it's very important, going forward, that we take a page from this.' Elections Canada said it has several measures in place to ensure voters have the correct instructions for filling in their ballot, including visual instructions posted on the back of voting screens. 'As we do after each election, we will look back at what went well and where we could improve things so that we can adjust our efforts to better serve electors, including the ways we communicate about how to properly mark ballots,' spokesperson Matthew McKenna said in an email. A judicial recount in the eastern Newfoundland riding last month resulted in an 'unprecedented' 1,041 disputed ballots, according to a report last week from provincial Supreme Court Justice Garrett Handrigan, who oversaw the process. On many of the disputed ballots — 'maybe as many as half,' Handrigan's report said — the voter had placed their mark in the rectangular boxes containing a candidate's name. In some of those so-called 'rectangle votes,' the elector had also made a mark in the circle to the right of the candidate's name. The Canada Elections Act is clear: any ballot 'that has not been marked in a circle at the right of the candidates' names' should be rejected. Accordingly, the judge rejected the 'rectangle votes,' his report said. In all, 819 ballots were rejected in the recount. Rowe was declared the winner, defeating Liberal Anthony Germain by 12 votes. The Liberal party said last week that it accepts the results. The average age in Terra Nova-The Peninsulas is 50, the highest among the seven ridings in the province — though not by much. In the ridings of Central Newfoundland and Long Range Mountains, the average is age 49, according to Elections Canada. There were fewer rejected ballots in both ridings — 492 and 452, respectively. Amanda Bittner, a political science professor at Memorial University in St. John's, said anything Elections Canada can do to decrease the confusion around voting is good. 'Clearly, there were a lot of voters who wanted to have their voice heard in this election, if there were that many 'confused but clear' ballots,' Bittner said in an email. 'That speaks to a gap between voter understanding of what to do and Elections Canada processes.' 'Fortunately, Elections Canada takes voter turnout very seriously, and I am sure they have already made note of this issue and are working on tweaking their processes for next time,' she added. Liberal volunteer Sheilagh Crombie-Brown said she didn't receive instructions when she cast a ballot at an advance poll in Bonavista, a community in the Terra Nova-The Peninsulas riding. She believes her 83-year-old husband would have mistakenly spoiled his ballot if she hadn't have been there to help him. The 62-year-old also hopes Elections Canada will try to figure out why so many ballots were cast incorrectly. The federal elections agency does provide instructions, she acknowledged, but if people can't read or understand them, they won't be of much use. Meanwhile, Barnett is pleased that Rowe won and she doesn't question the results of the recount. However, she hopes Elections Canada will take note of what happened and ensure it won't happen again. 'I think if they don't, they'd be doing an injustice to the whole system,' she said. 'Because when you see something of this magnitude happen, to not talk about it is just wrong.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 3, 2025. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Winnipeg Free Press
10 hours ago
- Business
- Winnipeg Free Press
Newfoundland voters concerned after apparent voter mistakes void hundreds of ballots
ST. JOHN'S – Two voters in Newfoundland say they hope Elections Canada can learn from a dramatic judicial recount that revealed hundreds of people in their riding may have marked their ballots in the wrong spot. Jennifer Barnett says she didn't receive instructions about how to mark her ballot when she voted for Conservative candidate Jonathan Rowe in an advance poll ahead of the April 28 federal election. The rural Newfoundland riding of Terra Nova-The Peninsulas is home to many seniors and others who may have needed more instruction than she received to properly fill in a ballot, Barnett said. 'Being able to vote is such a privilege, and if your vote is spoiled because of a simple error, I think it's very sad,' the 43-year-old said in a recent interview. 'I think it's very important, going forward, that we take a page from this.' Elections Canada said it has several measures in place to ensure voters have the correct instructions for filling in their ballot, including visual instructions posted on the back of voting screens. 'As we do after each election, we will look back at what went well and where we could improve things so that we can adjust our efforts to better serve electors, including the ways we communicate about how to properly mark ballots,' spokesperson Matthew McKenna said in an email. A judicial recount in the eastern Newfoundland riding last month resulted in an 'unprecedented' 1,041 disputed ballots, according to a report last week from provincial Supreme Court Justice Garrett Handrigan, who oversaw the process. On many of the disputed ballots — 'maybe as many as half,' Handrigan's report said — the voter had placed their mark in the rectangular boxes containing a candidate's name. In some of those so-called 'rectangle votes,' the elector had also made a mark in the circle to the right of the candidate's name. The Canada Elections Act is clear: any ballot 'that has not been marked in a circle at the right of the candidates' names' should be rejected. Accordingly, the judge rejected the 'rectangle votes,' his report said. In all, 819 ballots were rejected in the recount. Rowe was declared the winner, defeating Liberal Anthony Germain by 12 votes. The Liberal party said last week that it accepts the results. The average age in Terra Nova-The Peninsulas is 50, the highest among the seven ridings in the province — though not by much. In the ridings of Central Newfoundland and Long Range Mountains, the average is age 49, according to Elections Canada. There were fewer rejected ballots in both ridings — 492 and 452, respectively. Amanda Bittner, a political science professor at Memorial University in St. John's, said anything Elections Canada can do to decrease the confusion around voting is good. 'Clearly, there were a lot of voters who wanted to have their voice heard in this election, if there were that many 'confused but clear' ballots,' Bittner said in an email. 'That speaks to a gap between voter understanding of what to do and Elections Canada processes.' 'Fortunately, Elections Canada takes voter turnout very seriously, and I am sure they have already made note of this issue and are working on tweaking their processes for next time,' she added. Liberal volunteer Sheilagh Crombie-Brown said she didn't receive instructions when she cast a ballot at an advance poll in Bonavista, a community in the Terra Nova-The Peninsulas riding. She believes her 83-year-old husband would have mistakenly spoiled his ballot if she hadn't have been there to help him. The 62-year-old also hopes Elections Canada will try to figure out why so many ballots were cast incorrectly. The federal elections agency does provide instructions, she acknowledged, but if people can't read or understand them, they won't be of much use. Meanwhile, Barnett is pleased that Rowe won and she doesn't question the results of the recount. However, she hopes Elections Canada will take note of what happened and ensure it won't happen again. 'I think if they don't, they'd be doing an injustice to the whole system,' she said. 'Because when you see something of this magnitude happen, to not talk about it is just wrong.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 3, 2025.
CBC
5 days ago
- General
- CBC
Medical school acceptance brings woman from Souris back home to Prince Edward Island
Alyson MacCormack is one of the first cohort of students accepted at UPEI's new Faculty of Medicine. The UPEI site is a regional campus of Memorial University until a future joint degree is established. MacCormack tells Louise Martin of CBC News: Compass that it's a dream come true, as well as a homecoming. She grew up near Souris before going to Mount Allison University in New Brunswick and then the University of Ottawa.
CBC
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- CBC
Congrats, Dr. Claus! Honorary Santa Bruce Templeton receives honorary degree
For decades, he delighted the children of St. John's by bringing Santa Claus to town. Now, Bruce Templeton, the man behind the jolly white beard, has been made an honorary doctor of laws by Memorial University. Hear Templeton's inspiring speech to the convocating class.
CBC
25-05-2025
- Science
- CBC
Professor gets $3M to research carbon capture and storage in N.L.
The ocean's floor a dark, mysterious place, but one Memorial University professor sees it as an opportunity — and a storage room. "We're not talking about a big cave underground or a tank underground," engineering professor Lesley James told CBC Radio's The Broadcast. "We see water running through sand and rocks on the beach, it's between those sand particles and those rock particles where we'll actually store the CO2." James is researching methods of compressing carbon dioxide after it's been captured from the air, smokestacks or other sites, and then injecting it into sedimentary rocks offshore. The goal of carbon capture and storage is to keep greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere. It hasn't been done in Newfoundland and Labrador yet, but a $3-million grant from the provincial government will help James and her students get closer to realizing that idea. "It takes everyone as a stakeholder working together," she said. James says the money will go toward equipment and training for students and researchers who she hopes will become the workforce in the future carbon capture field. Hamidreza Shiri, part of James' research team and also a postdoctoral fellow at MUN's Hibernia enhanced oil recovery group lab, says it's been "amazing" work. "Most of the scholars believe that it's the future," said Shiri. "Capturing the CO2 will help the ozone layer." The optimistic spirit is high among those involved in a field of study never before attempted in the province. PhD researcher Dorcas Akrong, who is working on the CO2 injection itself, says a soap-like foam surfactant helps the compressed carbon dioxide flow to less permeable portions of the rocks used to store it. "It feels good to know that your research is contributing to something that is safe in the world," Akrong said. According to James, the question of the hour is when a project can officially get started. She says places like Alberta, Saskatchewan and even Norway are examples that show this type of gas storage is possible. Recent government funding is an added bonus, too. James says her research area is like "reverse oil and gas," because instead of drilling something out of the earth, she is hoping to put something inside it. But, a real-life project would use similar facilities as the oil and gas sector. "If we look historically at what it's taken… it literally takes 15 to 20 years to get a project started," she said.
