There were changes and some status quo in school trustee elections in the region after the election on Monday, Nov. 9.
Incumbents led the way for most votes in both the Prince Albert Catholic School Division and Saskatchewan Rivers School Division.
All incumbents returned in Sask. Rivers but there will be a new rural trustee. All incumbents who were running were also returned in the Catholic Division.
Receiving the most votes in the Saskatchewan Rivers division was incumbent trustee Arne Lindberg with 2,570 votes, placing second was former superintendent Alan Nunn with 1,934 votes. Placing third was incumbent Michelle Vickers with 1,809 votes and in fourth place was incumbent chair Barry Hollick with 1,748 votes.
Placing fifth was longtime incumbent Grant Gustafson who narrowly finished fifth with 1,584 votes. Gutafson was just three votes ahead of Brian Zabaraschuk who finished with 1,5981 votes.
Placing seventh was Conrad Burns with 1,432, in eighth place was Heather Carter with 1,391 votes, in ninth place was Cherise Arnesen with 947 votes, placing 10th was Crystal Clarke with 919 votes and in 11th place was Brian Umpherville with 774 votes.
One seat on Saskatchewan Rivers in the City of Prince Albert was vacant entering the election after George McHenry passed away.
Re-elected by acclamation in rural subdivisions in Saskatchewan Rivers were incumbent Subdivision 1 trustee Bill Yeaman, Subdivision 2 trustee Darlene Rowden, Subdivision 3 trustee and incumbent vice-chair Jaimie Smith-Windsor and Subdivision 5 trustee Bill Gerow.
In the Catholic Division incumbent chair Suzanne Stubbs led the way with votes, placing second was Andrea Ring with 1,260 votes. In third place was incumbent Patrick Hordyski with 1,036 votes and in fourth place was new face Chrissy Halliday with 1,036 votes. Placing fifth was incumbent Albert Provost with 1,006 votes. Earning the final of six trustee positions was newcomer Darryl Sande with 804 votes.
Marcia Coulic-Salahub finished seventh with 784 votes.
In eighth place was Gloria Mahussier with 752 votes and in eighth place was Zenik Rabeij with 524 votes.
There were two vacant seats for the Catholic Division in the City entering the election.
Not running for election was former in-city trustee Bill Tomyn.
On Tuesday morning a winner was declared in the Prince Albert Catholic School Division’s rural subdivision with incumbent Maurice Chalifour winning another term as a trustee on the school board.
Chalifour received 36 votes and challengers Darlene Slater received eight votes for the trustee election on Monday, Nov. 9.
In the lone contested race in the North East School Division (NESD) Carrot River Administrator Kevin Trew defeated farmer/businessman Mervin Edwards of Arborfield. Trew received 197 votes while Edwards received 144 votes.
Subdivision 5, which was represented by former chair Luke Perkins and serves Star City, Gronlid and Naicam, will be vacant after no candidates came forward in two calls for nominations.
In Subdivision 5 no voting took place Nov. 9 but when the new board holds their first meeting a by-election for the subdivision will be declared, according to a notice posted by the NESD.
In Subdivision 1, which serves Hudson Bay, Kathy Bank was the lone nominee and won by acclamation and will replace former trustee Linda Erickson.
Dustin Kelsey of Choiceland is the lone nominee for Subdivision 3, which serves Nipawin rural, Choiceland and White Fox.
In Subdivision 4, which serves the City of Melfort, Kevin Graham has won the seat by acclamation. According to his biography he is employed at Bourgault Industries and has lived in Melfort for 17 years.
Melfort was formerly represented by two subdivisions until the board redrew districts in February. After the election in 2016 current Melfort MLA Todd Goudy and Randy Ariss were elected to those seats. After Goudy was elected in a by-election in March 2019 the board left his seat vacant. Ariss passed away in December 2019 and Perkins temporarily oversaw Melfort for the board until the end of the last term.
In Subdivision 6 returning trustee Lori Kidney will return to serve Tisdale proper after the boundaries were redrawn and she previously served Naicam and Tisdale rural in the old Subdivision 4. Former Subdivision 6 trustee Richard Hildebrand did not let his name stand for another term.
Subdivision 7, which serves Porcupine Plain and Bjorkdale will see longtime trustee Ted Kwiatkowski return by acclamation.
Former longtime deputy chair Marla Walton returns for another term serving the Town of Nipawin. Not running for another term in Nipawin, which is now one trustee position after redrawing of subdivisions, is Michael Botterill.
In the Northern Lights School Division in subdivision 1 (Bear Creek and La Loche) incumbent trustee Emelien Janvier was defeated by Bernice Park-Campbell, Janvier received 92 votes and Park Campbell received 218 votes. In subdivision 2 (Buffalo Narrows and St. George’s Hill) incumbent trustee Herb Norton was defeated by Richard Petit, Petit received 107 votes and Norton received 99 votes. In subdivision 3 (Buffalo Narrows and St. George’s Hill) Richard Laliberte was elected by acclamation replacing former trustee Joe Daigneault. In subdivision 4 (Green Lake) incumbent vice-chair Lorna Black was defeated by Rose Richardson. Richardson received 93 votes and Black received 63 votes. Subdivision 5 (Uranium City and Stony Rapids) Sandra Hansen was elected by acclamation to replace former trustee Lillian Laprise. In Subdivision 6 incumbent board chair Joey McCallum was acclaimed. In subdivision 7 (La Ronge, Air Ronge, Weyakwin and Timber Bay) Morris Cook was elected by acclamation to replace former trustee Guy Penney.
In subdivision 8 (Sandy Bay) Marina Dumas defeated incumbent trustee Harry A. Morin Jr. Dumas received 156 votes and Morin received 114 votes.
