As well, one voting location in Ward 9 was severely damaged in the storms, and has had to be relocated.

Transcription

1 Subject: Candidate Update #8 Dear Candidate, Throughout the course of the administration of the 2018 Municipal Elections, the City of Ottawa Elections Office will send out various updates to all candidates to keep you fully informed. Accordingly, this is the eighth candidate update issued Elections Tornado and Windstorm Response There are a number of ongoing challenges being experience by those residents and businesses directly affected by the September 21, 2018 tornadoes and windstorms. These challenges may include the loss of a residence or business, damage to their home and/or the loss of personal identification. Residents may be living in temporary accommodations over the course of the municipal election period and for some time to come. For the 2018 Municipal Elections, the City of Ottawa s Elections Office has pro-actively implemented specific measures to ensure that those affected electors have the opportunity to vote easily and conveniently. As well, one voting location in Ward 9 was severely damaged in the storms, and has had to be relocated. Choosing a Qualifying Address for Affected Electors As some electors may have had to move into a temporary residence as a result of damage to their personal property, in some cases outside of their ward, the Elections Office is allowing those residents to cast their vote either using their current home address, at the voting locations for that home address, or using their temporary address, at the voting location for that temporary address, as the elector chooses. To facilitate this, the Elections Office has adopted the following practice with regards to qualifying addresses: City of Ottawa Elections Office 1221 Cyrville Road, Unit B Ottawa, Ontario K1J 7S8 ottawa.ca/vote Ville d'ottawa Bureau des élections 1221, chemin Cyrville, unité B Ottawa (Ontario) K1J 7S8 ottawa.ca/votez

2 Option 1: Elector who votes based on their normal address Electors directly affected by the weather events continue to be eligible to vote based on their normal address, even if their home was damaged and they cannot currently live there. To determine their voting places based on a qualifying address, electors can use the City of Ottawa s Where do I vote? tool on ottawa.ca/vote or they can contact the Elections Office at for assistance. Option 2: Elector who votes based on their temporary address Electors affected by the weather events may also choose to vote in the Ward where they are temporarily residing. For the purposes of the Voters List, the Occupancy Status of electors will be Boarder. To find a voting place based on a temporary address, electors may use the City of Ottawa s Where do I vote? tool on ottawa.ca/vote or they may contact the Elections Office at for assistance. An elector who chooses to vote based on a temporary address will need to complete the Application to Add or Amend My Information on the Voters List. This application is available on ottawa.ca/vote and will also be available at every voting place on Voting Days. Election workers will be available to assist electors when filing out this form. Regardless of where an affected elector chooses to vote, an elector is entitled to vote only once in the City of Ottawa. They must vote in the voting location for the address they choose to use to vote. Electors Missing Acceptable Identification The Municipal Elections Act, 1996 requires an elector to present identification that demonstrates the elector s name and qualifying address. Those voters who lost their identification will still be able to vote by completing a statutory declaration stating that they are eligible to vote (Form 9 Declaration of Identity). Election Workers understand that this is a difficult time for some voters, and will make every effort to assist them with completing this form. Extra Election Workers Have Been Added in Affected Areas In affected areas, the Elections Office has added additional staff who have been trained at completing all of the forms that may be required to assist an elector. Election workers have also received a letter advising them of the options available to electors that have been affected by these weather events. Relocation of Voting Day Voting Place Arlington Woods Free Methodist Church to Knoxdale Public School 2

3 The Elections Office is aware of one voting place that was severely damaged by a tornado: Arlington Woods Free Methodist Church (Ward 9 Knoxdale-Merivale). This voting place was scheduled to be used on Voting Day (October 22, 2018) and has been moved to Knoxdale Public School located at 170 Greenbank Road. The Elections Office has completed an accessibility review of this new location. As with all elementary schools, a security guard will be onsite at this location. The Advance Voting Day (October 12, 2018) voting place for this area remains unchanged and continues to be Sir Robert Borden High School, located at 131 Greenbank Road. The Elections Office has issued standard reminder letters to all voting locations; the letter requested that the Elections Office be notified if the facility had been affected by the tornadoes and windstorms. To date, the Elections Office has not been notified of any other changes to voting places. Revised Voter Notification Letters A Revised Voter Notification letter has recently been issued to the approximately 4,300 electors who are eligible to vote at Knoxdale Public School (09-001) on Voting Day on October 22, Affected electors are expected to receive this Revised Voter Notification letter the week of October 8, The Where do I vote? tool has been Updated To determine voting places based on a qualifying address, electors may use the City of Ottawa s Where do I vote? tool available at ottawa.ca/vote. This may be particularly useful for electors who did not previously receive a Voter Notification letter and/or for electors who are unable to access their mailbox. Public Service Announcement A public service announcement (PSA) will be issued to advise electors of the change to the Voting Day (October 22, 2018) voting place from Arlington Woods Free Methodist Church to Knoxdale Public School. This PSA will also include general information for electors who have been affected by the weather event. In addition to the normal distribution, the Elections Office will circulate this PSA to community groups in the affected areas to ensure it is widely shared. Web Content and Knowledge Base Article The Elections Office has developed information for the public about how electors affected by the weather events can vote in the 2018 Municipal Elections. This information has been posted to ottawa.ca/vote and has been provided to the Call Centre operators through a Knowledge Base Article. Variable Signage in Affected Areas The Elections Office has arranged to have large, variable messaging signs installed in areas most affected by the weather event. These signs will advise electors to contact 3

4 the City of Ottawa about any questions about the voting process. (e.g. For questions about municipal elections, call ) Elections Student Voter Outreach Initiatives Overview Several candidates have recently asked questions about how student voters will be served during the 2018 Municipal Elections. To respond to these questions, we can offer the following summary of outreach initiatives aimed at student voters. Voting Places on Campus As with previous elections, the City of Ottawa will offer electors who live on campus the opportunity to vote at a voting place on campus at every post-secondary institution on Advance Voting Day, October 12, 2018 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.: Algonquin College; Carleton University; La Cité; St. Paul University; and The University of Ottawa. Algonquin College (Ward 8 - College) Algonquin College will have an address-specific voting place for eligible electors who live on campus on October 12, Carleton University (Ward 17 - Capital) Carleton University will have an address-specific voting place for eligible electors who live on campus on October 12, Incidentally, this date avoids a conflict with Carleton University s Fall Break, which occurs from October 22 to October 26, La Cité (Ward 13 Rideau-Rockcliffe) La Cité will have an address-specific voting place for eligible electors who live on campus on October 12, Incidentally, this date avoids a conflict with La Cité s Fall Break, which occurs from October 22 to October 26, Saint Paul University (Ward 17 - Capital) In the case of St. Paul University, the campus is being used twice as voting place for both electors living on campus and for the broader community. Specifically, St. Paul University will serve as an Advance Day (October 12, 2018) voting place for electors living in voting areas , , and On Voting Day (October 22, 2018), St. Paul University will serve electors in voting area University of Ottawa (Ward 12 Rideau-Vanier) The University of Ottawa will have an address-specific voting place for eligible electors who live on campus on October 12, Incidentally, this date avoids a conflict with the University of Ottawa Fall Break, which occurs from October 22 to October 26,

5 For ease of reference, the following two tables show the voting place for electors living on campus for both Advance Day (October 12, 2018) and Voting Day (October 22, 2018). Table 1 - Voting Places for On-Campus for Electors on Advance Vote Day (October 12, 2018) College/University Algonquin College Carleton University La Cité St. Paul University University of Ottawa 45 Mann 90 Université Brooks Henderson Hyman Soloway Leblanc Marchand Rideau Stanton Thompson Ward 08 College 17 Capital 13 Rideau- Rockcliffe 17 Capital 12 Rideau- Vanier Advance Day Voting Place Algonquin College 1385 Woodroffe Ave Carleton University Commons 1125 Colonel By Dr La Cité La Résidence 400 Den Haag Dr St. Paul University Atrium University of Ottawa 90 Université ~Travel Distance 5

6 Table 2 - Voting Places for On-Campus Electors on Voting Day (October 22, 2018) College/University Ward Advance Day Voting Place Algonquin College Carleton University La Cité 08 College 17 Capital 13 Rideau- Rockcliffe St. Gregory Catholic School 148 Meadowlands Dr W Southminster United Church 15 Aylmer Ave Collège catholique Samuel- Genest 704 Carson s Rd St. Paul University 17 Capital St. Paul University Atrium University of Ottawa 90 Université Brooks Hyman Soloway Leblanc Marchand Rideau Stanton Thompson University of Ottawa 45 Mann Henderson 12 Rideau- Vanier 12 Rideau- Vanier St. Joseph's Parish 174 Wilbrod St Sandy Hill Community Centre 250 Somerset St E ~Travel Distance 1.1 KM 1.4 KM 600 metres (on campus) 529 metres (average) 425 metres (average) Other Measures for Student Voters The Elections Office has also taken steps to ensure that the voting process for student voters living on campus is convenient. Extra Election Workers Have Been Added to On-Campus Voting Places To ensure eligible electors living on campus can vote with ease, the Elections Office has assigned extra staff to these locations to assist in completing forms and other tasks associated with the voting process. 6

7 Pre-Populated Forms The Elections Office has sent thousands of information cards and copies of the Application to Add or Amend my Information on the Voters List to all five colleges and universities for distribution to eligible electors living in student housing. To assist student electors, the forms were pre-populated with the qualifying address and occupancy status. The same forms will also be available at all five on-campus voting places, to help speed up the process for an elector who needs to add their name to the Voters List. Social Media The Elections Office actively maintains two Facebook pages (Elections Ottawa and Élections Ottawa) and two Twitter accounts Through these accounts, the Elections Office widely shares information to create awareness about the voting process, including where, when and how to vote. Several Facebook posts and Tweets are directly targeted to students, making them aware of their voting rights. Info-Graphics and other Materials for Students Voting on Campus In advance of the October 12, 2018 voting events on campus, the Elections Office has shared an info-graphics, a Voter Information Brochure and links to the How to Vote videos with the administration of colleges and universities so the information can be circulated to students living on campus. This information will also be shared on the Elections Office s above noted social media accounts. Previous Candidate Updates In the previous seven candidate updates, you were provided with information on the following topics: Update #1 Special Advance Voting, Traditional Advance Voting and Voting Day Dates & Times; Nominations and Withdrawals; Authorization of Agents; 2018 Candidates Guide for Ontario Municipal and School Board Elections; Amendments to the Municipal Elections Act, 1996; Candidate s Name as it is to Appear on the Ballot; Pronunciation of a Candidate s Name on the Accessible Vote Tabulator; Consent by Candidate Release of Contact Information; Contribution Rebate Program; Voterlookup.ca and Municipal Property Assessment Corporation; Election Sign Restrictions Public and Private Property; Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) - Onair Personalities as Candidates; Information Sessions for Candidates; 2018 Municipal Elections Maps; and 7

8 2014 Municipal Elections Data. Update #2 Motion to amend the Contribution Rebate Program Update #3 Nomination and Certification; Access to Multi-Residential Premises by Candidates and Their Representatives as well as the Display of Campaign Signs; Reminder: Election Sign Restrictions Public and Private Property; Voters List for Candidates; Voters List Public Access; Voters List Revision Process; Voter Notification Letter; Voting Places; Voting Places in the Half Moon Bay Community; Voting Subdivision Maps; Scrutineers; Voting by Proxy; and Issuing Receipts under the Contribution Rebate Program. Update #4 Previous Candidate Updates have been posted to ottawa.ca/vote. Update #5 Accessibility Plan; Reminder: Information Sessions for Candidates and Registered Third Parties; Reminder: Election Sign Restrictions Public and Private Property; and Reminder: Scrutineers. Update #6 Final Spending Limits (note: corrections to spending limits issued on Thursday, September 20, 2018, under separate cover); Interim List of Changes; Voting Places Hospitals; and Voting Day Display of Unofficial Election Results. Update #7 Accessing Strike-Off Lists from Special Advance Voting and Advance Voting Days 8

9 I trust this information is satisfactory. Should you have any questions or require any additional information, please contact the Elections Office by telephone at , by at or visit the Elections website at ottawa.ca/vote. Yours truly, M. Rick O Connor, CMO City Clerk and Solicitor 9