Ian Munro will be the next member of the Union Bay Improvement District (UBID) board.
Munro won by a large majority in the byelection held in the community on Nov. 23. Advance polling happened on Nov. 12. UBID released the results on its website on the weekend, declaring Munro to be the winner.
Most people actually voted in the advance poll. When the votes were all counted, Munro attracted 262 votes, Treasure Ducharme had 131 votes and a third person on the ballot, Teresa Knight, had eight votes. Knight had put her name forward to make sure someone was running for the open seat on the board but tried to withdraw when she heard the two others had filed papers. She could not have her name removed from the ballot in time.
Munro is looking forward to being sworn in and working with the board, especially as it moves ahead on its governance study with the Comox Valley Regional District over the next year.
“I feel really happy about the size of the mandate,” he said. “I’m just looking forward to getting to know the other board members.”
Ducharme took the loss in stride, though she wished there had been more time for voters to get to know the candidates through a forum.
“This was very, very quick,” she said. “It was really fast.”
At this point, she says it is premature to decide whether to put her name forward for one of a couple of board positions next spring. For now, she hopes to see UBID’s work for the community progress.
“I’d like to see it move forward,” she added.
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In other UBID news, the Canadian Union of Public Employees announced UBID workers voted to join CUPE 556 in a Labour Relations Board certification on Nov. 14. The four workers include inside administration and outside public works staff who maintain the water treatment plant and streetlights.
“These workers provide the same services as the members we represent in surrounding communities,” CUPE 556 president Karen Garrett said in a news release. “We are so pleased to welcome them into our growing union.”
She said the CUPE local is looking forward to working with the group on bargaining for their first contract, adding the Union Bay community is expecting to see significant growth in the near future.
CUPE 556, Comox Valley Municipal Workers, represents municipal workers in the Comox Valley, including the City of Courtenay, Town of Comox, Village of Cumberland, the Comox Valley Regional District and Hornby Island, as well as the Union Bay Improvement District, south of Courtenay.
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