The countdown to the 43rd federal election is underway, and staff at Elections Canada’s Salmon Arm office for the North-Okanagan Shuswap riding are available to help residents make sure they’re ready for voting day.
Open as of Wednesday, Sept. 11, the Elections Canada office is located at 171 Shuswap Street, in the same building as the Salmon Arm Observer, and is open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Monday to Friday, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and from noon to 4 p.m. on Sunday. Assistant returning officer Sandra Jenkins says she and her fellow Elections Canada staff at the office can help residents make sure their voting information is correct and up to date. They are also taking applications for people to work on election day and at the advanced polls.
Electors can register to vote at the Elections Canada office, as well as online or by mail, and candidates can now file nomination papers at the office in their riding.
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Eligible voters (Canadian citizens aged 18 and over with proof of identity and address) may vote at any Elections Canada office across the country for most of the election period. To vote at an Elections Canada office, you must complete an Application for Registration and Special Ballot. You must show proof of your identity and home address. Once your special ballot application is accepted, staff will provide a special ballot voting kit. You can vote on the spot, or you may come back to the office to submit your vote later.
Voting in advance of the Oct. 21 federal election can also be done at select campuses, by mail (apply online at elections.ca or at Elections Canada offices prior to the Tuesday before Oct. 21) and at the advance polls held Oct. 11 to 14.
Further information about voting is available at the Shuswap Street office and at elections.ca.
As for information about the individual candidates, at least two running in the North-Okanagan Shuswap riding have opened offices in Salmon Arm. Incumbent Mel Arnold’s Conservative Party office is located in Suite 001 in the Old Courthouse building on the corner of Shuswap Street and Hudson Avenue. The office is open Monday to Saturday from 10 to 3 p.m. An official opening barbecue is planned for Saturday, Sept. 14, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. and all are welcome.
The Salmon Arm office of federal Liberal candidate Cindy Derkaz is located at 103-231 Trans-Canada Highway, located near the Bank of Montreal. As of Sept. 16, the office will be open Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Vernon offices are open for each of the riding’s candidates. Arnold’s is located at 2907 32nd Ave. and Derkaz’s is at 3023 30th Ave., Vernon. Federal NDP candidate Harwinder Sandhu’s office is at 3130-32nd St.; the office of Kyle Delfing, candidate for the People’s Party of Canada, is located at 2504 – 43rd Street; and Green Party candidate Marc Reinarz’s office is located at 3023 30th Ave.
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