Jim Vewchar, who has resided in Canora for over 30 years, received 314 votes on August 28 to be elected Canora’s new mayor.
In the byelection to compete the term of Gina Rakochy he defeated Michael Kwas, who received 179 votes; Councillor Kerry Trask, who received 177 votes and Bill Reaume, who received 25 votes. The current term expires in October, 2020.
A total of 695 ballots were counted, plus two ballots were rejected and two ballots were spoiled, said Michael Mykytyshyn, the returning officer. There were approximately 1,650 eligible voters, which works out to a voter turnout of just over 42 per cent.
After the byelection, Vewchar was planning to take his oath of office and assume the duties of mayor at the next regular council meeting.
“It was exciting to find out I received so much support from the people,” said Vewchar. “I’m looking forward to the challenge of being Canora’s mayor.”
One of the first things he plans to do as mayor is to assess where Canora is standing at the present time and determine the best way to move forward. Since the town is about half-way through its fiscal year, he said it will be easier to make long-term plans after the next budget.
Vewchar said during the campaign, voters told him that “Canora has been lacking in leadership and needs to start moving forward.”
