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© HB MUNICIPAL ELECTION October 13, 2022 | z § Continued from page 3 FS £ Ontario (AMO). A recent analysis by z the ring across the prov- . Compared to the 2018 municipal election, the number of candidates {e) 6,658 “to 6, 306, white the number of uncontested seats went up from 477 to 548. Halton is seeing a 15 per cent decrease in the number of municipal can- didates, with seven ac- claimed seats in 2022 — four in Oakville, two in Milton and one in Halton Hills — up two from four years ago. There's a crowded field in some open seats, in- cluding where a mayor is MUNICIPAL ELECTIONY retiring in Halton Hills — and local council races with event to10 competing candi Inthe face of voter apa- thy, where only 38 per cent of eligible voters cast a ballot in 2018, coupled with the low turnout in volved because "it's your nave:* le in ter ll be mad ‘ms of budgets, official plan, and future zoning of the area," he said. Nelson Wiseman, pro- fessor emeritus of politi- cal science at University of Toronto, said voters FOOD © Breaded Chicken Breasts 8 PIECES 907 g ALL PRICES IN EFFECT “It's so important to know who you're voting for and to know where the people stand and what they believe in.” tend to be less interested in municipal elections than provincial and fed- eral elections. "For a lot of people, fed- eral and provincial is- sues," such as health care and education or immi- tion and the economy, “strikes them as more im- portant," he said. Butit doesn't necessar- ily mean the turnout this month will be even lower Vanessa Warren, who owns and operates farms in Oakville and Burling- ton, appreciates all the Breaded Haddock Fill 6-11 PIECES 907g TO UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED. E1@ mmfoodmarket.com insidehalton.com - Jennifer Sibbitt ways that people can vote — including online. While she's "just so ec- static about that," she would also like to see some electoral reform in the form of ranked ballot- ing. Helping to get the vote out is Jennifer Sibbitt of the reuters Com- mu Association, ahh at press time ha hosted one of only two all- candidates meetings in Milton. "It's so important to know who you're voting for and to know where the people stand and what they believe in. And it'sa good chance to reach the candidates directly," she said. "Especially being rural, we have long dri ways here, so not a lot of candidates can go door to door." Sibbitt said outside of the two council candi- dates running in her ward, there are many names she doesn't recog- nize — and getting infor- mation about them isn't so easy. "This is a great way to just kind of get a little bit face to face and just get some real answers," she said, while calling for people to" "vote and have your say." Best, the AMO official, said it's important to make it easier for people to vote— including online voting — while ensuring MANY KEY ISSUES FOR NEXT TERM: ACCLAIMED COUNCILLOR the process is secure so that people can trust the system. He's also will look into reduc- ing the voting age from 18 Oat. t 16-, 17-year- olds who 2 are far more en- gaged than a lot of 50- year-olds," he said. STORY BEHIND THE STORY: With the munici- pal election fast approach- ing, we wanted to compare this year's picture with 2018 and share how resi- dents and officials feel about the upcoming vote. SIGN UP FOR OUR WEEKLY NEWSLETTER AT INSIDEHALTON.COM iid Ko) e)(=\\\ Me 10),-1e0) More coupons, more flyers, more savings. Find the Loblaws flyer and more on Save.ca save.ca/flyers