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Two of four areas in Strathcona Regional District go to polls

Incumbents face challengers in Cortes Island and Oyster Bay-Buttle Lake
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Emergency first response will be one of two referendum questions for Cortes voters this fall. Photo by David Gordon Koch/Campbell River Mirror

There will be contests to represent two of the four electoral areas in the Strathcona Regional District on Oct. 20.

As of 4 p.m. Friday, two candidates filed to run in Area B (Cortes Island) and two in Area D (Oyster Bay-Buttle Lake).

For Cortes Island, incumbent Noba Anderson will face a challenge from former Cortes Island director George Sirk. Cortes residents will also be asked to vote on a couple of questions. The non-binding referenda will cover adding emergency first responder service as well as a proposed hall tax.

RELATED STORY: Cortes Island emergency response service goes to referendum

In Area D, which represents residents south of Campbell River, incumbent Brenda Leigh is running against Ron Chapman. While there are no referenda in the electoral area, the issue of water rate hikes has been generating controversy and questions in recent months.

RELATED STORY: Strathcona Regional District hikes water rates for rural area

For Area A (Kyuquot/Nootka-Sayward) and Area C (Discover Islands-Mainland Inlets), no one filed nomination papers to go up against respective incumbents Gerald Whalley and Jim Abram.

Before the slate is finalized for the election, there is a waiting period, which allows challenges to a candidacy of up to four days after the Sept. 14 deadline to file, or for candidates to withdraw within seven days following last Friday’s deadline.

Four years ago, Whalley and Abram also won their seats by acclamation. For Area B, Anderson won with 287 votes, defeating Bruce Brown, who had 199 votes, and Delia Becker, who had 52 votes. In Area D, Brenda Leigh retained her seat on the board with 813 votes, defeating Terry Honig, who received 642 votes.

The Strathcona Regional District includes the four electoral areas along with the five municipalities of Campbell River, Sayward, Tahsis, Zeballos and Gold River, each with their own elected council. The SRD covers an area of approximately 22,000 square kilometers and serves a population of almost 45,000 people, based on the 2016 census.