Results from Wednesday night’s municipal elections continue to trickle in for northern Saskatchewan.
There are a few communities where the torch is being passed; some by choice and others by defeat.
In the town of La Ronge, Ron Woytowich has been elected as mayor, replacing Thomas Sierzycki, who did not seek another term.
In Cumberland House, incumbent mayor Val Deschambeault was handily defeated by Kalvin McKay.
Weyakwin saw incumbent mayor Stella Brown fall to George Natomagan, and Stony Rapids incumbent Daniel Powter was downed by Mervin MacDonald.
The final count in Buffalo Narrows shows that only six votes separated the three contenders for mayor. There, Estelle Laliberte was not seeking reelection. Bobby Woods had been mayor before her, and is now back in office.
The final count shows that in the mayor’s race, Woods received 199 votes, only three more than Sandy Ericson. The final candidate Candice Evans had three less than that.
So far, the village office says that no one has contacted them to call for a recount.
Other northern villages are staying the course with longtime mayors.
Ile-a-la-Crosse has re-elected Duane Favel over Louis Gardiner, Air Ronge’s longtime mayor Gord Stomp remains in office, and Green Lake’s Ric Richardson had well over triple the votes of his opponent Phane Ray.
The urgency of getting election results that you saw in big centres is a little lacking in many communities. For example, Sandy Bay won’t be making its results public until Friday.
Despite that, a number of posts on Facebook show that community members all over the north have a political appetite, with many people staying up late impatiently awaiting results.
Available vote counts in northern Saskatchewan
Buffalo Narrows
Mayor – Winner Bobby Woods, 199 (newly elected)
- Sandy Ericson, 196
- Candice Waite-Evans, 193
Councillors
- Derek Petit, 247
- Alvin Cook, 238
- Melanie Aubichon, 206
- Rodney (Manny) McCallum, 187
- Gary Sr. Laprise, 156
- Isidore Desjarlais, 154
Cumberland House
Mayor – Winner Kelvin McKay, 361 (newly elected)
- Valerie Deschambeault, 125 (incumbent)
Councillors
- Alan Bishoff, 297
- Veronica Favel, 278
- Ferlin McKay, 206
- Elaine Crate, 137
- Green Lake
Green Lake
Mayor – Winner Ric Richardson, 148 (incumbent)
- Phane Ray, 40
Councillors
- Joe Gardiner, 143
- Jimmy Laliberte, 133
- George Gardiner, 126
- Darwin Lafond, 111
Ile-a-la-Crosse
Mayor – Winner Duane Favel, 496 (incumbent)
- Louis Gardiner 106
Councillors
- Gerald Roy, 291
- Donny Favel, 290
- Vincent Ahenakew, 248
- Bevery McLean, 238
- Peter Durocher, 225
- Myra Malboeuf, 184
La Ronge
Mayor – Winner Ronald Woytowich, 311 (newly elected)
- Joe Hordyski, 304
Councillors
- Matthew Klassen, 403
- Dallas Everest, 380
- Hugh Watt, 368
- Rex McPhail, 325
- Glen Watchel, 307
- Jordan McPhail, 300
Weyakwin
Mayor – Winner George Natomagan, 26 (newly elected)
- Stella Brown, 24 (incumbent)
Councillors
- Joshua Brown-Nelson, 42
- June Natomagan, 36
- Jemima Nelson, 34
- Joan Natomagan, 27
Stony Rapids
Mayor – Winner Mervin MacDonald, 71 (newly elected)
- Daniel Powder, 54 (incumbent)
Councillor – Meg Macdonald