Nominations open for Inuvik Town Council byelection
Nominations are open for two Town of Inuvik Council seats.
Town officials posted an update on the upcoming Oct. 17 byelection to the town’s website Sept. 8. Nominations officially opened Sept. 6 and will remain open until Sept. 19.
Returning officer Jenna MacNeil said nomination packages are available on the town’s website and needed to be returned to her either in-person or dropped off at the town office by 3 p.m. Sept. 19.
Nomination packages can also be picked up from the town office.
Voter registration is also open. Anyone who is 18 years old, a Canadian citizen and has lived in Inuvik for the last 12 months is eligible to vote. If your address has changed in the last 12 months or you are voting for the first time you need to register by either printing out a voter list amendment form, available from the town’s website, or filling one out in person at the town office. Completed forms can be sent to counciladmin@inuvik.ca or faxed to 777-8601.
There won’t be an advance vote and the lone polling station will be at the Midnight Sun Complex. However, residents with mobility, timing or other issues with voting at the complex on election day will have the option of voting by proxy.
Proxy vote forms will need to be completed by Oct. 12.
The newly-elected councillors terms begin Nov. 1.
One of the council seats was vacated by Donovan Arey, who told council he resigned for family reasons. The other seat was first held by the late Alfred Moses and Dez Loreen was then appointed, both of whom resigned.
Inuvik Pool prepares for ‘soft opening’ after Thanksgiving weekend
Work on the Inuvik Swimming Pool has progressed to the point that town officials are confidently predicting a “soft opening” after Thanksgiving weekend, which takes place Oct. 8 to 10 this year.
Town of Inuvik Community Services Director Lise Saumur gave town council an update at their Sept. 12 meeting.
Her monthly report notes that pool cleaning and filling is underway ahead of an upcoming inspection from the territorial health department, which must sign off on the facility before it can re-open. Once that happens, Saumur said the town would need approximately two weeks to get staff trained and certified.
She added the town has hired a new aquatic supervisor, who is already on the job.
The pool closed in March 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic. Town officials decided to use the extended closure to fix long-standing problems with the basin. However, as the town worked on the pool, more problems with the system became apparent. To date the entire piping structure was moved beneath the pool and re-worked to prevent leaks into the surrounding permafrost. The deck has been modified for better safety, the walls around the lazy river have been raised, both the drainage and mechanical systems have been overhauled and the entire pool liner was replaced. That alone cost $488,907.
Work on the pool was made possible through a $562,500 grant from the federal government.