It will be business as usual for the RM of Meadow Lake. Monday (Nov. 9) was Election Day in Divisions II and IV, but, when the final ballot was counted, it was clear ratepayers are satisfied with the status quo, as the incumbent councillors in both divisions were returned to office. In Division II, long-time councillor Russ Jones was re-elected in a close race, earning 32 votes to fellow candidate and former Division V councillor Blair Mysko’s 30. Keray Bacon, the third candidate in Division II, received 16 votes.

 “I know my division like the back of my hand, where all the problem areas are and I serve my constituents very well,” Jones said when he first announced his candidacy for re-election. “I’m easy to get a hold of, I have no pecuniary interests and live on one of the worst roads in the division. I’ve never rebuilt my road, just gravelled it and removed trees… family, farming, fire, forest, flooding, I look after them all.” Jones has served as an RM councillor for 34 years. 

Meanwhile, in Division IV, incumbent Garry Ratke was returned to office when he received 88 votes to fellow candidate Darwin Schwartz’s 48. “I was actually shocked I won as big as I did,” Ratke told Northern Pride following the election. “I was hoping to win, but I didn’t think I would win this big. First off, I would like to thank the voters of Division IV for putting me in for the fifth time, and I would like to thank Darwin for putting his name on the ballot because that’s what democracy is all about.” Going forward, Ratke said there are ongoing issues the RM will continue to tackle. “Gravel is a non-renewable resource,” he said. “We have to keep looking at putting more dust proof down and trying to use less gravel… We also need to get more trees off the sides of the roads because roads get wet. We need to have a good program to mulch and, once we mulch, we need to keep those trees off the side of the road. Those are some of the things we’ll need to deal with going forward.” 

RM elections are staggered, meaning this year was the election year for Divisions II, IV and VI. However, no one came forward in Division VI to challenge incumbent councillor Ernie Schwartz, so he was acclaimed. The next RM election, which will see ratepayers head to the polls to vote for councillors in Divisions I, III, V and for reeve will take place in 2028. As for total voter turnout, in Division II 78 votes were cast while, in Division IV, the total number of voters was 136. “The RM’s 2026 municipal election was held successfully, and council thanks all candidates, election workers and residents who participated,” remarked RM administrator and returning officer Tracy Smith-Mysko. “While voter turnout was lower than anticipated, every vote plays an important role in local decision-making, and council encourages residents to participate in future elections.” Nov. 9 was also election day in the RM of Beaver River. In that community, Brent Bender was elected in Division II. He earned 12 votes to fellow candidate Quinn Darichuk’s eight. Ken Hammett was acclaimed in Division IV and Wayne Rewega was acclaimed in Division VI.