Crowsnest Pass sets November 17 by-election

Crowsnest Pass voters will elect a new councillor November 17 after council approved the schedule for a municipal by-election.

The nomination period opened August 19 and closes at noon October 20. An advance poll will run from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. November 9 at the Crowsnest Community Hall, according to a subsequent municipal notice.

Council set the election and nomination dates August 18 as part of five resolutions addressing election officers, voting areas, special ballots and voting at care and apartment facilities.

The vote will fill the seat left vacant when Councillor Colleen MacDonald resigned effective August 6. The Municipal Government Act requires the municipality to hold a by-election within 120 days of the resignation.

Council’s printed recommendation initially listed November 16 for election day and October 19 for nomination day. Administration told council those had been the original dates before a scheduling conflict at one of the facilities led to the November 17 recommendation.

Council adopted all five resolutions in one motion, correcting both dates to November 17 and October 20. The motion carried without opposition.

Barbara Kelly was appointed returning officer and Kristin Colucci was appointed substitute returning officer.

Council retained three voting subdivisions: Coleman; Blairmore and Frank; and Bellevue and Hillcrest. The staff report proposed eight polls, down from 14 during the 2025 general election, for an estimated saving of about $4,800.

Special-ballot applications may be made in writing, by telephone, in person or by email.

Council also approved institutional voting at Peaks to Pines, the Crowsnest Pass Health Centre, Tecumseh Apartments and Westwind Apartments.

Before calling the meeting to order, Mayor Pat Rypien thanked MacDonald for her service and addressed the public dispute over her eligibility to serve on council.

Rypien said public office brings scrutiny but there is no place for intimidation or personal abuse. She also acknowledged that some residents had legitimate questions about MacDonald’s eligibility and said a legal process had been underway to resolve them.

“Many believe those questions deserve to be answered, while others believe the councillor was treated unfairly,” Rypien said.

She said differing opinions were part of democracy, but disagreements should remain respectful.

Rypien said the resignation may mean the community does not receive the judicial clarity it had expected. Her comments were a statement about the dispute and its effect on the community, not a council finding on MacDonald’s eligibility.

The municipality reported 553 voters cast ballots in the 2020 by-election, compared with 2,028 voters in the 2025 general municipal election.

Candidate nomination papers may be filed at the municipal office in Coleman until noon October 20. The municipality’s by-election page contains candidate forms, eligibility information and voter-registration details.