Canadian by-elections, 2012

[adma]

it might not be the candidate so much as the campaign

Or both, in coordinated tandem.  Fife gave the ONDP incentive to pursue this as a serious, *winnable* target, despite naysayers pointing to the 2011 fed-prov results as proof that K-W is RIM-yuppying terminally away from such targetability.  Otherwise, a solid 20% might have been possible on Andrea Horwath's simple coattails--but 30% is the result of the Fife juggernaut, with added boost from this being a resource-concentrating byelection rather than the lost-in-the-ozone circumstance of a general election...

 

[Hatman 🍁]

Fife is a good candidate, and worthy of a good campaign for sure. But she's not winning it on name recognition alone. I doubt most voters would have heard of her before the by-election. Can you even name your public school trustee? I can't, and I voted for her!

[adma]

Fife is a good candidate, and worthy of a good campaign for sure. But she's not winning it on name recognition alone. I doubt most voters would have heard of her before the by-election. Can you even name your public school trustee? I can't, and I voted for her!

I addressed the name-recognition-alone point in my "in coordinated tandem" statement  And besides, we're not just talking about your regular school trustee, we're talking about a "trustee and chair of the Waterloo Region District School Board and president of the Ontario Public School Boards' Association".  We're talking about a big shot here--and one who would be familiar to K-W voters from her previous provincial run in 2007, at which time she was already something of a star-candidate-albeit-shame-about-the-party case.

And don't be too hard on school trustees, even if you can't name your own--very often, it *is* a launching pad to political power.  (Toronto has a fair number who went straight from trustee to provincial elected office: Kathleen Wynne, Donna Cansfield, the newly-elected Michael Coteau and Soo Wong, even Rosario Marchese in the NDP camp.  And while the party of choice often helped, trusteeship *did* hold its inherent star-candidate coattails...and in the case of Wynne and Cansfield, especially in the throw-out-the-anti-education-Common-Sense-Tory-bums atmosphere of 2003...)

[Smid]

And don't be too hard on school trustees, even if you can't name your own--very often, it *is* a launching pad to political power. 

They're probably also more familiar to the parents of children in the electorate, as opposed to people more our age.

[MaxQue]

And don't be too hard on school trustees, even if you can't name your own--very often, it *is* a launching pad to political power.  

They're probably also more familiar to the parents of children in the electorate, as opposed to people more our age.

I went to school with the son of my trustee. Which aren't really elected, since there is never more than one candidate in my area.
Not surprising when a city of 30,000 has 13 trustees.

Last elections were in 2007. 2011 ones were cancelled to merge them with municipal elections, but cities refused, so, they are on indefinite terms.

[Hatman 🍁]

Quebec has separate elections for school board which is a joke. What's the turnout, like 10%?

[RogueBeaver]

Quebec has separate elections for school board which is a joke. What's the turnout, like 10%?

Or thereabouts.

[lilTommy]

why would cities refuse? Yesh, municipal elections have brutally low turnout anyway i couldn't imagine an election JUST for school trustees

Just like i don't get why in Vancouver you have seperate Parks board commissioners... wouldn't that just fall under city council direction? meh

[Linus Van Pelt]

You should see the insane array of separately elected local positions they have here in the great US of A.

[Hatman 🍁]

why would cities refuse? Yesh, municipal elections have brutally low turnout anyway i couldn't imagine an election JUST for school trustees

Just like i don't get why in Vancouver you have seperate Parks board commissioners... wouldn't that just fall under city council direction? meh

A few municipalities in the area (eg Nepean) used to elect hydro commissoners before amalgamation.

[MaxQue]

why would cities refuse?

The electoral districts aren't the same, so it would complicate the jobs of the cities.

[adma]

And there have been trustee byelections in Toronto in the past year, to replace Coteau + Wong after they were elected to Queen's Park...

[Hatman 🍁]

And there have been trustee byelections in Toronto in the past year, to replace Coteau + Wong after they were elected to Queen's Park...

I bet those would be fun o_0

Never had any trustee by-elections in recent memory in Ottawa. It's possible that such things don't exist.

[adma]

It may depend upon what council or school boards decide--sometimes a byelection, sometimes a "temporary" appointment.

In any case...

http://www.toronto.ca/elections/by-election-2012/tdsb-17-20/

Ward 17: 5151 votes; winner w/974 votes.

Ward 20: 6422 votes; winner w/1849 votes.

NB: in the riding of Don Valley East, where former Ward 17 trustee Michael Coteau ran and won for the Liberals, 974 votes would have been good enough for 3% of the provincial vote.

[Hatman 🍁]

Wow. That's a lot of candidates for an election nobody cares about.

[MaxQue]

Wow. That's a lot of candidates for an election nobody cares about.

They attract more candidates for a reason. The only election ever for my school board which was contested was a by-election, in 2009.

[lilTommy]

Eek, in Fort Whyte; this is a little unsettling no?

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/mrjetztvs-candidacy-casts-doubt-on-rules-166859386.html

[MaxQue]

As Denis Coderre said he will announce on November 9 his choice (he will either run for Liberal leadership or Montreal mayorship), La Presse is reporting than NDP is already searching a star candidate to run in Bourassa in the resulting by-election. NDP seems to be sure than he will choose the mayorship. La Presse is also saying than, being a Montreal riding, there would be pressure on the Bloc leader (former MP for Hochelaga) to run there.

[RogueBeaver]

Coderre didn't say anything about resigning his seat prematurely. Given that Tremblay is a Pelquiste this could mean he's not seeking a fourth term. The alternative is getting steamrolled in a leadership race.

[RogueBeaver]

Denise Savoie is resigning, so Victoria will shortly be vacant.

http://www.ipolitics.ca/2012/08/23/ndp-mp-denise-savoie-to-resign-her-seat/

[Holmes]

I hope she gets better soon. She will be missed.

[Hatman 🍁]

safe NDP hold

[lilTommy]

its sad/unfortunate when any MP/MPP has to step aside due to a health issue, but i' relieved thats the reason and not for any political reason.
So... i know its far too early but any thoughts on who might run for the seat for the NDP? or any other party. The city is full of current/former municipal dippers; who knows Carole James might want to try something new (not sure if there is still any bad blood there, but she probably will be in line for a cabinet post so maybe not)
And yup, safe NDP seat now-a-days. 88-93 was held by John Brewin then Liberal David Anderson, then since 2006 its been Savoie.

[DL]

I suspect that Savoie signaled to the party a while ago that she was going to step down and they timed it so that a byelection in a solid NDP seat (ie: Victoria) would have to be on the same day as the other byelections that are all in really bad seats for the NDP like Calgary Centre, Durham and Etobicoke Centre.

[MaxQue]

I suspect that Savoie signaled to the party a while ago that she was going to step down and they timed it so that a byelection in a solid NDP seat (ie: Victoria) would have to be on the same day as the other byelections that are all in really bad seats for the NDP like Calgary Centre, Durham and Etobicoke Centre.

Well, a strong second would be very good in Durham and Calgary Centre. They don't need to win.
And I'm sure than NDP hopes there is no election in Etobicoke.