Hello Chestermere-Strathmore readers.
I want to use this article to explain what has been going on with respect to the Special General Meeting for the leadership review that was to occur on April 9. This was to be an opportunity to respond to leadership in this province. As you know, that has since been changed to a very complex and long (53 days long) process and waiting period to find out the results of a mail-in ballot! I want to let you know that I vehemently disagree with the changes to the rules, and I wanted to let you know that 33 constituency boards demanded the following:
The first request is to keep the SGM in Red Deer. Earlier this week, there was a discussion about the possibility of the vote being held in other cities over several days. You decided Red Deer was the location and told us one site helped secure the integrity of the vote. We think changing this now becomes an even greater logistical difficulty in ensuring volunteers exist in multiple cities.
- The vote occurs at the original location: the Cambridge Hotel, proposing that shuttles run from Westerner Park and Red Deer College to help with parking and capacity issues.
- That voting hours be extended to allow for 12 hours of voting: from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Other recommendations include increasing the number of volunteer scrutineers overseeing the vote and managing voter lists on paper rather than on electronic forms. The presidents believe relying on electronic lists “seems like a glitch waiting to happen.”
From the Presidents
“Thank you for considering our recommendations. Please note these were achieved through consensus, with no single president opposing any of them and all supporting raising them to you,” read the letter.
I will keep you updated.
I would like to thank Strathmore Performing Arts Festival for bringing live festivals back to us. Congratulations to the organizers, participants, families, and accompanists who made this festival come alive!
Also, don’t forget to pop into the world’s longest hockey game running in Chestermere. We kick things off on Thursday night! Let’s raise some dollars for Alberta Children’s Hospital.
As always, we love to hear from you.
Leela Sharon Aheer, MLA Chestermere-Strathmore
