The Saskatchewan government said municipalities and school divisions can postpone their elections, which were scheduled to take place Monday, due to a record-setting snowfall and hazardous conditions on the roads.
Government Relations Minister Lori Carr said in a news release that she signed a ministerial order allowing each municipality’s returning officer to postpone its local election.
“If in the opinion of a Returning Officer appointed under the Act, the weather conditions on November 9, 2020, impede the ability for voters to attend the poll(s) in order to vote, including in situations where voting day polls have already opened, the Returning Officer may postpone the general election of the municipality, school division or ward,” the order states.
The order said elections can be put off to a date on or before Nov. 25.
However, the order does not mean all elections across the province are postponed. Rather, local returning officers can exercise their authority to delay the election if necessary, but they have to do so with “caution and clearly communicate with their citizens regarding any changes in their election day.”
“The safety of citizens is the first priority of the Government of Saskatchewan. In signing this order, safety can also continue to be ensured at a local level during these elections,” the Saskatchewan government said in the statement.
Winter slammed into much of Western Canada over the weekend. Heavy winds and snowfall blanketed a wide swath spanning from much of southern Alberta and the Edmonton region to northern Manitoba.
With files from The Canadian Press.
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