Latest news with #municipalElection
CTV News
4 days ago
- Politics
- CTV News
Advance voting day in Osgoode for byelection to elect new councillor
Residents in Ottawa's Osgoode ward can cast a vote today for a new councillor, to fill the seat left vacant by the resignation of George Darouze. The City of Ottawa is holding one advance voting day ahead of the municipal byelection on Monday, June 16. Eligible voters can cast a ballot from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday at one of three locations in Osgoode ward. Osgoode Village Community Centre, 5660 Osgoode Main Street Parkway Church, 7275 Parkway Road Carlsbad Springs Community Centre, 6020 Piperville Road To cast a ballot, electors will be required to show a piece of identification that must have your name and address to show you live in Osgoode ward. The city says photo identification is not required to vote. There are 11 candidates running to fill the vacant seat in Osgoode ward. Darouze resigned in March after being elected the MPP for Carleton in February's Ontario election. Here is a list of the 11 candidates: Guy Clarence Boone Dalton Holloway Bobby Gulati Colette Lacroix-Velthuis Dan O'Brien Isabelle Skalski Doug Thompson Peter Scott Westaway Jennifer van Koughnett Gregory Vail Arnold Vaughan For more information on voting places and the hours to cast a ballot, visit
Malay Mail
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Malay Mail
Election win for Thai politician weeks after BMW crash sends 65-year-old man to ICU
BANGKOK, May 12 — A 28-year-old budding politician in Pathum Thani, a Thai province north of Bangkok, won the local municipal election yesterday, less than a month after being involved in a serious car crash that injured a couple in their 60s. Smitthiphat Leenawarat whose parents are both veteran politicians, faces multiple charges including reckless driving and assault from the April 16 incident when his brand new BMW sideswiped a pick-up truck carrying 65-year-old Prachak Duangyai and his wife Somsri, 64, in Pathum Thani. Despite the legal issues, Smitthiphat won the municipal election by over 1,000 votes, The Bangkok Post reported today. 'For over 30 years, I have been serving my fellow people. Today it is proved that Thanyaburi people love my family sincerely and seriously,' Smitthiphat's father and a former mayor, Krissada Leenawarat, awas quoted as saying in thanking voters in the municipal election. Krissada was also reported to have addressed the ongoing crash case. He said his family had done their best to help the victims but the matter remained unresolved due to a 'third party.' 'I will let the justice system handle my son's case and I will not exercise any influence because my family had no connections,' he was quoted as saying. Smitthiphat's mother, Yupayao Leenawarat, is also an elected mayor of the same municipality. 'If we had not served the local people well, we would not have won the election given the recent issues of my son,' she was quoted as saying. Smitthiphat also thanked local residents for their support after the election and pledged to serve the constituents, just like his father. Smitthiphat was reported to have been fined 6,000 baht for driving with an expired licence in the April 16 car crash. Following the crash, Smitthiphat appeared on national Thai TV alongside his father to explain what happened. He claimed to be travelling at 80–100 kilometres per hour after passing a toll gate when the pick-up truck carrying the elderly couple cut into his lane, causing him to crash into a road barrier. He claimed he was reaching below to retrieve an undisclosed item when his BMW collided with the truck again while trying to stop it for a discussion. 'I deeply regret the accident and had no intention of injuring [the victims],' he was quoted as saying by The Bangkok Post in a separate news article. He added that he would cover medical costs and offer financial help. The occupants of the pick-up truck were reported to have been injured in the crash. The husband Prachak suffered six broken ribs and remains in intensive care, while his wife's condition was not disclosed in the news report. The case remains under police investigation.
CBC
11-05-2025
- Politics
- CBC
As Calgary Party launches, Alberta's major cities brace for big change to local politics
Social Sharing The Calgary Party officially launched on Saturday, marking the beginning of a long road ahead introducing its candidates to voters around the city, amid a range of new party names on the ballot in this fall's municipal election. Alongside Communities First and A Better Calgary Party, the Calgary Party will vie for the mayoral and councillor seats as part of a major shift in local politics that Alberta's two biggest cities are undergoing. This fall's election will be the first in Calgary and Edmonton to include official political parties. The Calgary Party is a centrist party led by mayoral candidate Brian Thiessen. A lawyer and former chair of the Calgary Police Commission, Thiessen said the new party will run candidates in every ward who have agreed to develop policy and vote together on four key policy areas: public safety, housing, transit and critical infrastructure. Otherwise, he says the party won't whip votes on any other issues. "I think it was a sea change day for municipal politics in Calgary," Thiessen said on his party's launch. While he acknowledges political parties aren't a popular addition to local politics, Thiessen is optimistic about what his party can accomplish. He argued that if a party can get eight or more candidates elected, it will be able to follow through on election promises more effectively and efficiently by co-operating from day one, which he contrasted against Calgary's current council that is often criticized for its dysfunction. "I've talked to councillors who say it takes up to two years for council to get to know one another and learn how to work together. This one never did. We'll be working together on day one," Thiessen said. Calgary's political sea change Municipal parties are being introduced after new provincial legislation was unveiled last year in Bill 20, that among other things allowed parties and slates to run in Alberta's two biggest cities for mayoral and councillor seats. School boards are excluded from the change. Albertans have no idea what to expect from municipal party politics, said Duane Bratt, political science professor at Mount Royal University. He argues it will be difficult for voters to familiarize themselves with what these new parties offer and know what to expect from them. "People know what the NDP stands for, the Liberals stand for, the Conservatives stand for. Instead, we're going to get a whole bunch of parties with the word 'Calgary' in there," Bratt said. "[Federally], people have history and tradition to get a sense of where they stand. But A Better Calgary? The Calgary Party? What's the difference between those?" The Communities First party presents itself as more of a known commodity for voters, with Ward 1 Coun. Sonya Sharp running for mayor and incumbent councillors Andre Chabot, Dan McLean and Terry Wong seeking to retain their seats under the party banner. Sharp said the party also won't be whipped, as its members may disagree, but they'll work to support each other's interests. Communities First has already pledged to work together to repeal blanket rezoning. Sharp said she initially had reservations about the introduction of political parties, but the idea has grown on her because she thinks co-operation between eight candidates is needed to accomplish anything at city hall. "We thought, why don't we build a unique caucus of like-minded individuals committed to individually representing our constituents," Sharp said. She added that Calgary has never seen a more divided council than the one it currently has, and she doesn't believe the same division will be seen with political parties. The third registered party is A Better Calgary, which launched last summer. Its organizers have said it intends to run on a platform of common sense and fiscal responsibility, and that it was formed out of frustration with decisions made by Calgary's current council. The party has not yet selected a mayoral candidate. Along with Calgary's three registered parties, the Principled Accountable Coalition for Edmonton party and Edmonton First slate are set to run in Alberta's capital. City councillor Tim Cartmell is also expected to launch the Better Edmonton party. While the practice is new in Alberta, other major Canadian cities like Vancouver and Montreal already have municipal political parties. While most of the focus around political parties may lie in the mayor's race, Bratt is interested to see how the successful candidate's victory will influence the make-up of council around them. "Where it could impact are councillors that are directly affiliated by party status with a mayoral candidate, and so we'll have to see if they've got coattails," Bratt said. Most of the discussion around this shift in municipal politics has revolved around campaigns, but Bratt said not enough focus has been given to the way parties could shift how councils govern. He added that voters don't know whether to expect voting discipline once parties are in power, or whether city hall will see opposition party leaders. Independent pushback Some independents running in this fall's election are skeptical about the addition of parties. Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek is set to run as an independent when she seeks re-election, and she's called political parties "the kiss of death for local representation." Former city councillors Jeff Davison and Jeromy Farkas are two other mayoral candidates who currently aren't running under party banners. Farkas said he opposes a "takeover of city hall" by political parties. He added that the level of dysfunction and vitriol that can be seen between parties at various levels of government in Canada and the U.S. should be a warning for Albertans. He added that instead of partisan politics, voters want to see council work across ideological divides to push good ideas forward. "When you have an environment of party politics where an idea is judged based on the jersey colour rather than is it a good idea or is it what Calgarians need, I think we all suffer," Farkas said. The 2025 municipal elections in Alberta are scheduled for Oct. 20.
