St. Albert Minute: Issue 82

St. Albert Minute - Your weekly one-minute summary of St. Albert politics

📅 This Week In St. Albert: 📅

• It’s Election Day! Polls are open from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm. In case you missed it, check out our 2025 Municipal Election Survey, revealing where Mayoral and Council candidates stand on key issues like safety, affordability, taxation, and accountability. We have published their unedited responses so voters can make informed choices. Some candidates answered, others declined - but all responses, or lack thereof, offer insight into their priorities.
  
  
• Alberta’s 2025 municipal election results are expected to take several days to be finalized due to new provincial legislation requiring all ballots to be hand-counted. Municipalities across the province have doubled or even tripled their election staff to manage the process. Counting will begin immediately after polls close but is expected to continue in shifts, with overnight pauses to prevent errors from fatigue. Advance voting and regular ballots will be tallied using these manual methods. Officials stress that the priority is accuracy over speed, with official results required to be submitted to the province by noon on October 24th. While the changes have drawn criticism from some municipal groups, the provincial government maintains that hand-counting ensures greater confidence in the election outcome. Residents are being asked to exercise patience as officials carefully process and verify each ballot.
  
  
• St. Albert will use kangaroo boards to hand-count ballots in the 2025 municipal election due to a provincial ban on electronic tabulators. The method, borrowed from the UK, allows poll workers to count votes in races where multiple candidates can be selected on the same ballot. Ballots are lined up in stacks of 25 on a board with a plastic pouch holding them in place, and a ruler is used to tally votes for each candidate. New provincial rules also require a permanent voter list, allowing residents to vote at any polling location, and voters must prove their identity and residency before receiving ballots. Each voter will now receive separate ballots for mayor, councillor, and trustee races, printed on colour-coded paper for organization. Additional security measures ensure ballots are protected, and scrutineers and guards monitor the process to maintain election integrity. Officials encourage residents to participate, emphasizing the importance of local elections in shaping community governance.
  
  
• St. Albert businesses are feeling the economic effects of Alberta’s ongoing teachers strike, now in its second week, with roughly 740,000 students out of class. The local Chamber of Commerce warns that parents may need to take time off work, creating staffing shortages and revenue losses, while some teachers are taking part-time jobs that could partially offset lost workers. Businesses like Mathnasium and Code Ninjas have seen increased demand for tutoring and enrichment programs, offering temporary solutions for parents and students. Meanwhile, Cunningham Transport faces financial strain as most of its school buses remain idle, but staff still need to be paid, and government support for bus contractors during the strike is uncertain. The Canadian Federation of Independent Business has called for a swift resolution, citing similar impacts on small businesses during Saskatchewan’s 2024 teachers strike. 
  
  
• Canada Post workers in St. Albert have resumed mail delivery following a shift from a nationwide strike to rotating strikes. While residents can once again receive letters and parcels, delivery schedules remain uncertain, and date-specific mail services are suspended. Local businesses expressed concern over potential disruptions, with some delaying shipments or pausing online sales due to the unpredictability of the strike. Canada Post and the union continue to negotiate, and residents are advised to check the Canada Post website for updates.

🚨 This Week’s Action Item: 🚨

Make sure to cast your vote in the municipal election today! 

Polls are open from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm. 

Click below to find your polling station and other relevant voter information.

🪙 This Week’s Sponsor: 🪙

This week's sponsor is you! We don't have big corporate backers, so if you like what you're reading, please consider making a donation or signing up as a monthly member.

Having said that, if you are a local business and are interested in being a sponsor, send us an email and we'll talk!