The final list of candidates has been announced for the 2021 Haisla Nation council election,
Nine people are seeking one of the five councillor spots and there’s a three-way battle for chief councillor.
The match-up for the top spot as chief councillor is between Jefferey Sherstabetoff, Paula Smith, and present Haisla chief councillor Crystal Smith.
In the 2017 election, Crystal Smith was nominated as chief, polling 463 votes, 200 more votes than runner-up Kieth Nyce, who polled 263 votes.
In the race for council, current Haisla Nation councillors Brenda Duncan and Taylor Cross are seeking re-election. Back in 2017, Duncan was elected as a councillor with 357 votes and Cross was elected with 430 votes.
The other seven candidates running for council are:
Enrique A. Carrillo; Alexander J. Sr. Grant; Dentin L. Grant; Justin R. Grant; Robert S.R. Nelson; Keith (Jonah) Nyce; and Harold J. Stewart.
The current sitting councillors who were elected for a four-year term in 2019 are:
Danya Grant; Raymond (Sonny) Green; Arthur Renwick, Joseph Allan Starr, and Kevin Robert Stewart.
Polling day for the new chief and council is Monday, June 7th, 2021, from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. with the count beginning at 9:30 p.m.
Votes can be cast at the Haisla Recreation Hall.
Anyone with questions can contact the Electoral Officer, Lewis Lawrence by phone at (250) 384-8200 or via email at lawrence@onefeather.ca.
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