Elections Canada is urgently looking for workers to help out at the polls for the upcoming Federal Election. (File photo/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

voter help

Elections Canada short on poll workers for Nanaimo-Ladysmith riding

Sep 6, 2021 | 2:40 PM

NANAIMO — The Federal Election is approaching and Elections Canada urgently is looking for people to work at polling stations.

The organizing body for Canada’s federal elections said they’re short of workers in the Nanaimo-Ladysmith riding, expected to be hotly contested.

Elections Canada’s BC spokesperson Andrea Marantz told NanaimoNewsNOW some people are concerned about working during a pandemic.

“We do have a lot of health and safety precautions in place at the polls and we have been working with regional health authorities to make sure that we’re doing all the right things.”

Justin Trudeau called for the election on Aug. 15. setting in motion a Sept. 20 general election date. The short window to prepare is proving difficult for some aspects of the electoral process.

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“It’s a different kind of election this year and there have been some additional challenges to recruiting people to work with us.”

Marantz would not specify on the exact number of people that will be hired but she stated they need people for the advance polls which are open from Sept. 10-13 and on polling day.

“It’s kind of a moving target, we would really like to have everyone who is interested apply. We do find that there are people who apply and then drop out for various reasons.”

The positions with Elections Canada are paid and include paid training and overtime. The positions range from $17.42 per hour to $23.44 per hour.

“For the first time this year, there’s going to be paid overtime, so these are long shifts, usually 12 hours and they can go over that. But this year you will be getting overtime after eight hours.”

Additional safety measures related to the COVID-19 pandemic will be in place for workers and voters.

Physical barriers, floor markings and no physical contact between workers and voters are all designed to better ensure safety.

It will be the second pandemic-era election for British Columbians after the provincial NDP called a snap vote for Oct. 2020, ultimately cementing a majority in Victoria.

Five candidates are on the ballot for the Nanaimo-Ladysmith riding with incumbent Green Paul Manly facing challenges from the NDP’s Lisa Marie Barron, Conservative Tamara Kronis, Liberal Michelle Corfield and People’s Party of Canada’s Stephen Welton.

To apply for a position visit the Elections Canada website.

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