Richard Stewart disappointed by prospect of provincial election

Retiring Coquitlam Mayor Richard Stewart said holding a provincial election this fall would fail to respect local governments and B.C. voters. Speaking in council chambers a day before B.C. Premier David Eby officially called a snap election, Stewart raised concerns about simultaneous provincial and municipal campaigns.

Municipal governments are required to hold elections on a set date every 48 months, Stewart said, while the province has the other 47 months available. Having run in both municipal and provincial elections, he said local politics are at least as important as provincial politics because cities deliver day-to-day services involving development, traffic, parks and recreation centres. He said municipal candidates deserve to have their ideas heard as elections are already scheduled in cities, towns, villages and school districts across B.C.

Stewart said he hoped the province would respect local governments and voters and predicted it could hold its election later; that prediction proved inaccurate. In a letter urging residents to vote, he said Coquitlam had been preparing its municipal election for months, including arranging voting locations, recruiting and training hundreds of election workers, developing voting materials and establishing systems for an accessible, transparent and secure vote.

Coquitlam is scheduled to offer six advance voting dates beginning Oct. 5, along with vote-by-mail for all eligible voters. The city plans to operate 23 polling places on Election Day, Oct. 17. Stewart said the municipal election would proceed as planned and encouraged residents to make a plan to vote.