[0:01] Welcome everyone. Hello. Thank you for being here and

[0:05] coming to the candidate information session for the 2026 general local

[0:08] election. Please note that this session is being

[0:11] recorded and will be made available on the District of Ucluelet's YouTube

[0:15] channel for anyone who is unable to attend or would like to review the

[0:18] information after today's session. My name is Florence Pulsifer and I serve

[0:23] as the deputy chief election officer and deputy corporate officer for the

[0:26] District of Ucluelet and uh joining me today we have Ed Caulder the district's

[0:31] chief election officer and corporate officer, Daria Popova who's our

[0:35] executive assistant and presiding officer.

[0:38] We are also pleased to welcome Heather Zenner who's the uh manager of

[0:41] administrative services for the ACRD and Paula Mason who's the manager of

[0:46] corporate services for the SD70 oh sorry, ACRD and SD70.

[0:50] Uh Heather and Paula will be joining us later in the presentation to provide an

[0:54] overview of a few slides um for their uh respective election processes.

[1:01] So, the purpose of today's session is to provide prospective candidates with

[1:05] information about the election process, key requirements, and what to expect if

[1:08] you choose to run for office. We hope that this will be an interactive session

[1:12] so if you have any questions, please feel free to ask um raise your hand and

[1:16] yeah, ask them. Next slide please, Daria.

[1:24] So, candidate eligibility. So, to run for mayor or council you need to um meet

[1:30] a few requirements so you need to be 18 years of age, a Canadian citizen, a BC

[1:34] resident for 6 months before nomination, and not disqualified by law for voting

[1:38] in an election in BC, or from being nominated for, elected to, or holding

[1:43] elected office. Candidate residency in the jurisdiction

[1:46] is not required. Next slide please.

[1:51] One of the most important things for anyone considering running for council

[1:55] is uh understanding the time commitment involved. Being an elected official is a

[2:01] significant responsib- responsibility that requires a consistent commitment

[2:05] throughout the year. Um

[2:07] it does demand time for meetings, preparation, and community engagement.

[2:11] In a typical year, council members attend approximately 22 uh regular

[2:15] council meetings, three to four committee of the whole meetings, three

[2:18] to four harbor authority meetings, special public meetings and public

[2:22] hearings as needed, council orientation sessions, budget review and planning

[2:27] sessions, council strategic planning sessions, local and regional community

[2:31] meetings, um different public appearances, events, and political

[2:35] events, and several annual conferences as well.

[2:40] Um >> [clears throat]

[2:41] » pardon me. However, the commitment extends beyond attending the meetings

[2:45] and events. Council members are expected to review agendas and supporting

[2:49] materials beforehand so they can participate in informed discussions and

[2:53] make thoughtful decisions. So, the agendas are distributed five days before

[2:57] the council meeting, so that's typically the Thursday afternoon,

[3:00] and they may be several hundred pages in length, so reviewing the agenda package

[3:04] in advance helps council members come to meetings well informed and prepared for

[3:08] discussions, which is very important. Next slide, please, Daria.

[3:15] Um so, as I mentioned before, council members are being appointed to

[3:19] committees and they will have to attend committee meetings.

[3:23] Um I won't go through all the committees that are that there are. You can see the

[3:27] list on this slide here. Um council typically determines committee

[3:31] assignments each year. While appointments are reviewed annually,

[3:34] members often remain on the same commit- committees throughout their term to

[3:38] build expertise, ensure continuity, and make their contributions more

[3:42] meaningful. Next slide, please.

[3:46] So, we're just going to go over a few of the 2026 general election key dates. So,

[3:51] September 1st until September 11th is a nomination period.

[3:55] September 11th um is declaration of candidates day.

[3:59] September 11th, we also have the ballot draw by lot. So, the order in which

[4:04] candidates names appear on the ballot will be determined by a random draw

[4:09] conducted by the chief election officer or the deputy, myself.

[4:13] September 18th, 2026 is the uh close of withdrawal period. So,

[4:18] um it it at 4:00 p.m. you have the candidate nomination withdrawal

[4:22] deadline. So, that's the very last mhm

[4:26] time that anyone who has submitted their nomination can withdraw.

[4:31] October 7th, 2026 is advanced voting day. October 17th, 2026 is general

[4:37] voting day. October 21st, 2026 is the last day to

[4:42] declare the official results. On November 2nd, 2026 we have a council

[4:46] orientation session with um a consultant that will come in. November

[4:52] 3rd, 2026 is the inaugural council meeting.

[4:56] Next slide, please, Daria.

[5:00] So, we're just going to quickly go over the role of election officials here.

[5:04] Um the chief election officer administers the election and delegates

[5:08] responsibilities and powers to other election officials. The deputy chief

[5:11] election officer performs the duties of the chief election officer when the CEO

[5:16] is absent or unable to act and uh also exercises delegated authorities. The

[5:22] presiding election official supports the CEO and DCEO in overseeing the vote and

[5:27] exercises delegated authorities as assigned as well.

[5:30] And then we have also several election officials that will be

[5:34] appointed um and they oversee the vote and exercise delegated authorities. So,

[5:39] as I mentioned at the very beginning of this session, Ed Chow is the chief

[5:42] election officer, I'm the deputy, and Daria is the presiding election

[5:46] official.

[5:49] Voters, so we do have two types of voters, resident electors and

[5:53] non-resident property electors. So, to be eligible um to be a voter as a

[6:00] resident elector, you need to live in Ucluelet and meet all the other

[6:03] qualifications. So, be 18 years of age or older when they register to vote or

[6:07] 18 years of or older on general voting day. Be a Canadian citizen, have been a

[6:13] resident of BC for at least 6 months immediately before they register to

[6:17] vote, not be disqualified under the Local Government Act or any other

[6:21] enactment from voting in local elections, or be otherwise disqualified

[6:25] by law. So, non-resident property electors are

[6:28] people who own property in Ucluelet but live elsewhere and meet all the other

[6:33] qualifications that I just mentioned. So, the same as the resident electors

[6:36] above. It's important to note that non-resident

[6:39] property electors cannot vote more than once in the same jurisdiction.

[6:44] Meaning you can only cast one vote in Ucluelet regardless of how many

[6:48] properties uh you own there. For example,

[6:51] if you live in Nanaimo and own one vacation property in Ucluelet, you may

[6:55] vote once in Nanaimo as a resident elector and once in Ucluelet as a

[6:59] non-resident property elector. Um if a property is in Ucluelet is owned

[7:05] by more than one person and none of the owners live in Ucluelet, only one of the

[7:10] owners can use that property to qualify as a non-resident property elector. So,

[7:15] the owners of that property will um have to decide who that person will be

[7:20] and the choice must be supported in writing by a majority of owners. And um

[7:25] that form needs to be brought at on the day of voting.

[7:31] Um it's also important to note that a person cannot vote on behalf of a

[7:35] corporation or as a non-resident property elector based on a property

[7:39] owned wholly or in part by a corporation.

[7:44] So, candidates are entitled to have a copy of the voters list. Candidates are

[7:48] responsible for protecting the personal information that is on said list, and

[7:54] they are also responsible for ensuring that any campaign workers provided

[7:57] access to the list are informed of the permitted uses of the list, understand

[8:03] its confidential nature, track its provision, access, and distribution.

[8:08] Um you can refer to the candidate acknowledgement of receipt of floor in

[8:12] the nomination package. Um we have several copies at the back as well if

[8:15] you haven't grabbed one yet.

[8:19] So, candidates can appoint certain representatives to assist with the

[8:23] administration of their election campaign and act on their behalf during

[8:26] parts of the election process. Candidates can appoint a financial

[8:31] agent. So, the financial agent is responsible to meet all financial

[8:35] requirements of the local election campaign financing act. It can also be

[8:39] the candidate themselves or someone that they appoint, and um that's done through

[8:45] submitting form C4 of the nomination package to the chief election officer.

[8:52] Um candidates can appoint an official agent, uh and that official agent can be

[8:59] a person appointed by the candidate to act on the candidate's behalf during the

[9:02] election process. For example, the official agent may submit nomination

[9:07] documents on behalf of the candidate. They may act as the candidate's

[9:11] representative with election officials, receive communications related to the

[9:14] candidate's nomination or campaign, attend certain election proceedings on

[9:19] the candidate's behalf when permitted. Um and that is done through submitting

[9:25] form C5 of the to the chief election officer.

[9:28] The candidate can also appoint scrutineers. Um scrutineers will observe

[9:34] the vote and ballot counting during voting days. Um each candidate may

[9:38] appoint one scrutineer for each ballot box, and that is done through submitting

[9:42] form C6 to the Chief Election Officer. Scrutineers must sign this solemn

[9:48] declaration. Next slide, please. The campaign period the campaign period

[9:54] begins at 12:01 a.m. on September 19th, 2026, and it ends at 4:00 p.m. on

[10:00] October 17th, 2026. The expenses used in this period are subject to an expense

[10:05] limit and must be reported on the campaign financing disclosure statement.

[10:10] And um so we have the numbers here for uh the

[10:14] candidate expense limits for You Kulet. And if you have any questions, please

[10:18] contact Elections BC directly.

[10:23] Election financing, it's important that candidates are aware of their campaign

[10:27] responsibilities under the Local Elections Campaign Financing Act and

[10:31] associated regulations. Financial agent duties, either once

[10:36] again, either the the candidate themselves or appointed individual.

[10:39] Um we'll go through them right now. So, the candidates must open and manage a

[10:43] separate campaign bank account that is used exclusively for the candidate's

[10:47] election campaign. They must accept and record all income. They must approve the

[10:53] expenses, and they must file a campaign financing report with um Elections BC

[10:59] within 90 days after the general election on October 17th, which brings

[11:03] us to January 15th, 2027. And they must also find maintain

[11:07] financial records uh in uh British Columbia.

[11:11] So, um pardon me. [clears throat] Candidate

[11:14] must retain all financial records for 5 years after the general election.

[11:18] Once again, please see the information on the Elections BC website.

[11:26] Election advertising. So, election advertising includes any paid

[11:30] communication to the public including canvassing so meaning going door-to-door

[11:35] calling visiting businesses to talk about your campaign face-to-face

[11:39] conversations that promotes or opposes the election of a candidate or an

[11:43] elector organization during the pre-campaign period or campaign period.

[11:48] When candidates are conducting election advertising the message must include

[11:52] sponsorship information that indicates the ad is authorized by the financial

[11:57] agent includes the name of the financial agent

[12:01] and provides a BC phone number BC mailing address or email address where

[12:05] the financial agent can be contacted about the advertising.

[12:09] Um election advertising must not be just distributed or transmitted on general

[12:14] voting day. So it election advertising must not sponsor

[12:20] Sorry, candidates must not sponsor election advertising saying on general

[12:23] voting day except for certain activities.

[12:26] So the following activities are permitted provided they are located more

[12:29] than a 100 m from the voting place which is Ucluelet Community Centre

[12:33] here. Um

[12:35] So I'll just go through the list with you here. We have free social media

[12:38] posts, live person-to-person telephone calls or emails and text messages on a

[12:43] non-commercial basis online advertising that was published before general voting

[12:47] day and not changed on general voting day online advertising with the sole

[12:52] purpose of encouraging voters to go vote in the election

[12:56] in-person campaigning activities such as door-to-door canvassing handing out

[13:00] brochures placing election signs or posters main streeting which means like

[13:04] sign waving um

[13:06] attending public campaign meetings or or rallies.

[13:11] Next slide, please. Election signage so when it comes to the

[13:16] installation and the removal of it it must not be displayed before September

[13:20] 19th, 2026 and it must be removed by October 19th, 2026.

[13:26] The 100 m rule is that election signage must not be placed within 100 m of the

[13:32] Colwood Community Centre during voting days on October 7th and October 17th.

[13:37] Yes.

[13:45] Yeah, that's a good question.

[13:48] » Uh we will probably provide a mapping but at at a later time. Yeah.

[13:53] Yeah. >> Yeah.

[13:55] That's fair.

[13:59] It's just the legal >> Uh yeah, uh

[14:01] you actually were subject to some fines. And we

[14:05] probably will have to take them and then call you to pick them up, but then you

[14:09] may subject to some fine.

[14:13] » Thank you. And so, um you can see the district sign bylaw number 1060 20 20

[14:20] 2007, pardon me, which is available on the district website, and there's an

[14:24] excerpt in the nomination package. And please see the Ministry of

[14:29] Transportation and Transit Policy on highway rights-of-way for any signage

[14:34] that is on the highway.

[14:39] So, now we will go over a few election offenses, um as set out in part three,

[14:45] division 18 of the Local Government Act, and in part seven of the Local Elections

[14:50] Campaign Financing Act. So, here are a few of the most common ones,

[14:55] um some more subtle than others.

[14:59] So, vote buying, accepting an inducement to vote,

[15:03] intimidation, advertising on general voting day except

[15:07] as permitted under the exceptions out outlined on slide 13th,

[15:12] um falsely withdrawing a candidate or an endorsement, so meaning making a false

[15:17] statement that a candidate has withdrawn from the election or that an endorsement

[15:20] of a candidate has been withdrawn in an attempt to mislead voters,

[15:25] fraudulent voting, interfering with ballots or ballot

[15:30] boxes, canvassing advertising within 100 m of a voting place, any other activity

[15:35] contrary to the Local Government Act. Next slide, please.

[15:41] The municipality will not host an all candidates meeting. Um if a local group

[15:46] is hosting an all candidates meeting, they will be in touch with candidates

[15:49] directly. Next slide, please.

[15:56] For after the election, so um all candidates must file a campaign

[16:01] disclosure statement with Elections BC by January 15th, 2027.

[16:06] And then if you're late, penalties with a will apply.

[16:10] Um the council orientation session will take place on November 2nd, 2026, and

[16:15] the first council meeting following the election is on November 3rd, 2026. That

[16:20] is when council members will take their oath of office at the inaugural council

[16:23] meeting on November 3rd. I will now turn it over to Heather

[16:29] and Paula afterwards.

[16:34] » Thank you, Florence. Um so my name is Heather Zinner. I work

[16:38] for the Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District. I'm the manager of

[16:41] administrative services, and I'm the deputy chief Oh, did I press the wrong

[16:45] button? >> No.

[16:49] » I need to get closer. Okay. And I am the deputy chief election

[16:52] officer for the upcoming election for the regional district electoral areas,

[16:57] as well as the school district uh trustee election.

[17:01] Next slide, please. So I'll just share a little bit of

[17:05] information about the regional district. So we were formed in 1966 by the

[17:09] province of BC. We're governed by the Local Government Act and the Community

[17:14] Charter, and we provide services to our 13 member jurisdictions jurisdictions as

[17:19] shown on the screen. We have six electoral areas, three municipalities,

[17:23] and four treaty nations. Next slide, please.

[17:28] So, the composition of the regional board is made up of 14 directors.

[17:32] So, the six electoral areas are elected. So, one director for each electoral

[17:37] area. And uh there are four directors from

[17:40] municipalities. So, the district of Ucluelet and Ucluelet and Tofino each

[17:44] have one director on our board, and the city of Port Alberni because they have a

[17:47] larger population, they have two directors on our board.

[17:51] And each treaty First Nation has four or each treaty nation has one director on

[17:56] our board. And the municipalities and treaty

[17:59] nations are all appointed by their councils.

[18:03] Next slide.

[18:06] So, the uh school board is governed by the School Act, and the school district

[18:11] has two uh geographic areas. So, the Alberni Valley and Bamfield is the first

[18:16] area, and they elect six trustees in that area.

[18:20] And then the West Coast, which includes the district of Ucluelet, Tofino, and

[18:23] the Long Beach electoral area, they elect one trustee

[18:27] for a total of seven trustees making up the school board.

[18:31] Next slide. Um this map just shows the six electoral

[18:35] areas as well as the treaty First Nation lands in the regional district.

[18:42] So, the time commitment for the regional district directors

[18:46] is also significant. Um we have two board meetings per month, which are

[18:50] scheduled. Uh we hold our board meetings on Wednesday afternoons.

[18:55] We have uh committee of the whole meetings are um quarterly, as well as

[19:00] West Coast committee meetings and electoral area director meetings are

[19:03] also on a quarterly basis. There are are other committee

[19:06] appointment responsibilities. Um in addition, there's always public

[19:11] events, uh invitations to community events, annual conference, and public

[19:15] hearings that require to be facilitated. All of our meetings are held in a hybrid

[19:20] format. So, we have our meetings in Port Alberni and directors are also able to

[19:25] attend via Zoom.

[19:29] Next slide. Yeah, the school district time commitment.

[19:33] So, the monthly meetings include one public board meeting as well as one in

[19:37] camera board meeting. There's two standing committees and

[19:41] additionally there may be other special board or committee meetings scheduled

[19:44] throughout the year. There are monthly school visits that the

[19:48] trustees will attend. There are also conference opportunities.

[19:52] Some are intended for all trustees and some are for specific trustees.

[19:57] And they're all there are other internal external committee appointments in

[20:00] addition to public appearances, advocacy work, and invitation to community

[20:05] events.

[20:09] So, nomination packages for the regional district electoral area directors and

[20:14] school district trustees will be available on Tuesday, August 18th.

[20:18] They're available Monday through Friday during regular office hours.

[20:21] They can be picked up at the regional district office or if you reach out to

[20:25] us, we can send one to you electronically.

[20:29] As Florence mentioned, the nomination period is September 1st through 11th. We

[20:34] encourage potential um

[20:38] folks running running in the election to reach out to us, set up an appointment

[20:41] so that we can review your nomination packages, ensure that everything is

[20:45] filled out correctly, and give you time to adjust if necessary.

[20:51] The campaign period September 19th through voting day on October 7th.

[20:57] Elections BC sets expense limits as shown on the screen and more information

[21:02] can be found by visiting the Elections BC website.

[21:09] So for the voting opportunities in the regional district on October 7th, we

[21:13] will be here in Ucluelet and Tofino as well as at the ACRD office for advanced

[21:18] voting. We have a second advanced voting

[21:20] opportunity on October 14th at the regional district office in Port

[21:24] Alberni. Um general voting day is October 17th

[21:28] and we will have multiple voting locations throughout the regional

[21:31] district. Um those have not yet been determined and will be determined after

[21:35] the candidate candidates have been declared.

[21:38] We also offer mail ballots. So anybody choosing to vote in the regional

[21:42] district or school district trustee election can request a mail ballot mail

[21:46] ballot by reaching out to our office.

[21:50] And next slide, please. Uh so after the election, the inaugural

[21:54] board meeting for the regional district is November 12th and we will start um

[21:59] training in November and continue through December.

[22:03] The inaugural school board meeting is November 3rd and November will start

[22:09] their uh trustee orientation. And I just really appreciate the

[22:15] District of Ucluelet staff for giving us time to speak tonight, but I will invite

[22:18] Paula Mason up from the school district to um to speak to the next slide.

[22:29] » Thank you. I just wanted um to introduce myself quickly. I'm Paula Mason, the

[22:33] manager of corporate services for um Pacific Rim School District. Um I'm just

[22:38] I would just wanted to note um a couple of things briefly about the opportunity

[22:42] to run for school trustee in the upcoming election.

[22:46] Um school trustees play an important role in public education.

[22:51] As members of the Board of Education, they help to set the strategic direction

[22:55] of the school district uh and to make decisions that support the success and

[22:59] well-being of all the students. Uh you don't need to be an educator to

[23:04] uh, run for trustee. Uh, boards benefit from people with all

[23:08] different backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives, and most importantly, a

[23:12] genuine interest in their community and in public education.

[23:17] Excuse me, I left my glasses in the car last minute, so I've zoomed in on my

[23:21] notes [laughter] here.

[23:28] If you're even thinking about running uh, um, to be a school trustee, I would

[23:31] encourage everybody to uh, to seek more information about it. Um, we've prepared

[23:37] a candidate information guide, which is a little bit more specific to um, the

[23:41] school district as an organization, um, and to what's involved in the role. Um,

[23:45] we do have a a different um, legislation. Uh, we're governed by the

[23:49] School Act as um, Heather mentioned.

[23:53] Um, and uh, she also reviewed um, what the time commitments are. The candidate

[23:58] information guide kind of goes into a little bit more depth about the

[24:00] organization and what can be expected. Um, it is on our website, um, and if you

[24:06] uh, I do have some paper copies here with me, as well as the QR code on

[24:11] screen. Uh, feel free to um,

[24:15] take a uh, shot of that, and it'll bring you right to the link on our website.

[24:20] Um, if you have any questions, um, we'll be here for a few minutes after.

[24:24] I'm happy to answer. Um, and other than that, thank you for

[24:28] considering the opportunity to serve the students and our future community.

[24:33] Thanks for the time. >> Thank you, Paula.

[24:35] I'm just going to add a few um, more pieces of information regarding the

[24:40] nomination packages. So, the the nomination packages um, will

[24:44] be available for download on the district website, or for pick up at the

[24:48] district office as of Thank you, Daria. Um, as of tomorrow morning. And we also

[24:53] have a few hard copies in the back there. You're more than welcome to grab

[24:57] one. So, candidates may submit their nomination documents to the chief

[25:00] election officer in person, by mail, or electronically, so long as the documents

[25:06] are received by the end of the nomination period, which is 4:00 p.m. on

[25:09] September 11th. So, between September 1st 9:00 a.m. September 11th 4:00 p.m.

[25:13] Candidates are no longer required to deliver deliver the originals of

[25:17] nomination documents submitted by fax or email. So, that's new in the legislation

[25:20] as of 2025. So, please note if submitting the nomination package by

[25:25] email, candidates must make the required solemn declaration before a commissioner

[25:29] for taking affidavits for BC, so either a lawyer or a notary.

[25:34] Adam and myself are also commissioners for taking affidavits in BC as corporate

[25:38] officers. So, you're more than welcome to book an appointment with either of us

[25:42] during the the nomination period so we can take care of solemn declaration and

[25:45] sign it. Um, it's also

[25:49] important to note that candidate personal information such as personal uh

[25:53] telephone numbers, residential addresses will be redacted

[25:57] um because some portions of the nomination package will be made

[26:00] available for public inspection on the website and um in person.

[26:05] And um as per the district election and assent

[26:10] voting bylaw, the minimum number of qualified nominators required to make a

[26:15] nomination for office is two. And so, that's uh

[26:21] Um and yeah, to nominate a candidate for local office, a nominate a nominator

[26:25] must be 18 years of age or older or older, pardon me, be a Canadian citizen,

[26:30] have been a resident of BC for at least 6 months, be a resident in the

[26:33] municipality or electoral area for which the nomination is being made, or in the

[26:38] case of a non-property resident elector um owning

[26:44] real estate in the municipality. And thank you. Adam, did you want to add

[26:50] anything? >> Yeah, so minimum is two nominator, but

[26:54] we do recommend you get a couple more because we do

[26:58] want to make sure the nominator actually is eligible, right? Living within UK.

[27:03] And another is appointment because if you feel you make appointment, we can go

[27:08] through all the papers. If you need a missing anything, we can do it the right

[27:11] away rather than wait to the deadline. Thanks.

[27:18] » Any questions? Yes.

[27:23] Yes.

[27:34] » You want Yeah, no, we are not allowed. Yeah, district municipality, we all a

[27:39] neutral party. We uh

[27:42] uh organize the election meeting, but we cannot do a all candidate forum because

[27:47] all candidate forum usually is done by a third party like a chamber of commerce

[27:52] or some other organization, right? Uh there is a

[27:56] like a legal implications because municipality

[28:00] cannot show favor toward any candidate. So, if we are the one organize all

[28:05] candidate forum, some people may attend, some people may not attend. That will be

[28:10] perceived some sort of a sponsorship, advertising,

[28:14] uh you know, so we we do not host uh not only us. Like I'm not aware of any

[28:20] municipality in BC they host all candidate forum.

[28:29] Oh, that'll be good. That'll good to know. Yeah.

[28:35] That'll be good.

[28:43] » Any other questions?

[28:47] Okay, well, thank you very much for attending today's session. We appreciate

[28:51] it and um >> The slides and the recording will be

[28:55] available on the website. >> Yeah.

[28:58] Yeah. >> Thanks for attending. Thank you.

2026 Candidate Information Session - Local General Election

Transcript