Kugluktuk byelection set for Aug. 24

Voters in Kugluktuk will elect a new MLA in a byelection scheduled for Aug. 24, says the Government of Nunavut.

“COVID-19 has changed so much, so quickly. We must all adhere to the advice of our chief public health officer and allow our communities to prepare for an election in this new reality,” said Premier Joe Savikataaq in a news release.

The resignation of Kugluktuk’s former MLA, Mila Adjukak Kamingoak, became effective on April 3.

The byelection to replace Kamingoak is set to take place on the same day as the byelection to choose a new MLA in Baker Lake.

Simeon Mikkungwak, the MLA for Baker Lake, gave notice on Feb. 24 that he was resigning for personal reasons.

The byelection in Baker Lake was to have taken place on April 27.

But Elections Nunavut decided that the byelection would be delayed from April 27 to Aug. 24 “to limit any potential spread of COVID-19.”

Byelections must be held “as soon as reasonably practicable and not later than six months after a seat becomes vacant,” according to the Nunavut Elections Act.

The election dates have been confirmed by the executive council, and the commissioner of Nunavut has issued a formal proclamation for the writ of election, as required by section 38 of the Nunavut Elections Act, the news release said.

The chief electoral officer will issue the writ of election on July 20, and Elections Nunavut will make detailed information available for potential candidates later in the summer.

The Nunavut legislature is to meet from May 26 to June 4, according to the schedule posted on the Nunavut legislative assembly’s website.

As of Thursday, April 16, the spring sitting has not been cancelled, said John Quirke, the clerk of the legislative assembly.