Meadow Lake residents will be returning to the polls much earlier than expected. During the regular meeting of Meadow Lake city council held Monday (Feb. 10), council formally accepted the resignation of councillor Michael Ferguson effective Jan. 26, 2025. Ferguson was a newly elected councillor who received 267 votes in the Nov. 13 municipal election. “I decided to run for city council because I felt I should give back to the community that has given so much to me,” Ferguson said when interviewed prior to last fall’s vote. “I was fortunate enough to grow up here and, although I moved away and returned a couple of times, Meadow Lake was the only community that felt like home.”
At the time, Ferguson went on to note he could be a great asset to the mayor, city council and the citizens of Meadow Lake. “I believe, with my management experience and education, I can bring a fresh perspective and voice to help move business forward in a way that benefits everyone,” he said. “I will never lose sight of the fact I am the voice of the people who believe in and trust me to do the best job I can.” When contacted by Northern Pride this week, however, Ferguson remained tightlipped about his decision to step down. “I have no comment at this time other than it’s for personal reasons,” he stated. Ferguson’s departure now means a by-election needs to be held in order to fill the vacant council seat. Monday’s meeting also saw council confirm the by-election would take place May 14.
“As per Section 11 of the Local Government Election Act, council must set the date for a by-election at the first regular meeting after a vacancy occurs, and that date must be within six months after the date on which the vacancy occurred,” explained city clerk Kaila Lefort in her official recommendation to council. “The by-election must be held on a Wednesday. As per Section 73(a) Nomination Day is the fifth Wednesday before election day. The latest date to hold the election per legislation would be July 23, 2025; the last Wednesday prior to six months after the date on which the vacancy occurred. For practical reasons, I do not wish to hold off until July to hold the election.”
Mayor Merlin Seymour agreed, stating it’s difficult to get a strong number of voters to take part in a by-election and, by holding the vote during the summertime, this number could dwindle even more. Ultimately, councillor Conrad Read moved for the by-election to take place May 14 with Nomination Day being April 9. Advance polls will be held between April 29 and May 10 and the new councillor will be sworn in at the May 26 council meeting. The motion was seconded by councillor Connie Marsh-Yuhasz and subsequently carried.