Site MenuPlanning Electoral Services in Kenora's Remote First Nations Communities – Report on the delivery of voting services in Cat Lake, Poplar Hill and Pikangikum, Ontario, during the 44th general election
In the riding of Kenora, the RO started engaging with the riding's 44 First Nations communities from mid-July until August 6, 2021, and arrangements for voting services were made with some communities during that time. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, all local outreach activities took place by telephone or virtually, and ROs were instructed to inquire about the public health measures in place in each community to plan for alternative ways of voting in the event that a community was put under lockdown or became temporarily inaccessible.
Early on, the RO reported to Elections Canada Headquarters (ECHQ) that he was experiencing difficulties recruiting community relations officers and connecting with the leadership of some First Nations. The RO also reported that several communities were under evacuation orders due to forest fires and that it was difficult to reach many communities (for example, where band offices were not staffed or were unable to answer the phones). The fact that the election could coincide with hunting and cultural activities was not raised at the time of the initial engagement, which is not surprising given the uncertain timing of the election. For several communities, the RO made arrangements regarding voting services only after the writs had been issued because of the difficulties listed above. It is at that time, once the date of the election was known, that some community leaders raised concerns that election day would conflict with their hunting and cultural activities. Some community leaders also started to inquire about potential early voting options for their communities.
For isolated communities in the riding of Kenora, the RO had prioritized offering on-site voting services on election day within each community. As in previous elections, there were no on-site advance polls planned. Thus, election day polling places had been secured and were to be run in Cat Lake, Poplar Hill and Pikangikum. For advance polls, residents of these communities were assigned advance polling places in Sioux Lookout (for Cat Lake) and Red Lake (for Poplar Hill and Pikangikum). These larger communities are located between 143 and 283 kilometres away from the communities by plane (see Appendix 2). These advance polls were clearly not a realistic voting opportunity for residents of the three communities who, in practice, would likely vote in person on polling day.