By-Election for Ward 3
The Portage la Prairie School Division is presently in the process of searching for candidates
to serve as the School Trustee for Ward 3.
Ward 3: Wards 3 and 4 of the R.M. of Portage la Prairie, together with the following lands in the R.M. of North Norfolk:
Section 1-12-9, SE ¼ of section 2-12-9, all of section 12-12-9, all of section 13-12-9, E ½ of section 24-12-9, and such lands in the R.M. of Westbourne situated within the boundaries of the Portage la Prairie School Division.
Nomination Period begins on August 7, 2024 and
Election Day is to be held on September 18, 2024.
This page outlines the requirements and process for seeking nominations and submitting documentation to register as a candidate. With information and links to find further information on the role and duty of a school trustee.
Eligible candidates for School Trustee must meet all of the following criteria:
- Must be a resident of the Portage la Prairie School Division
- Must gather all nomination signatures from the Ward residents
Section 22 of the Public Schools Act outlines the qualifications of a candidate for the office of the school trustee.
A person is qualified to be nominated for and elected as a trustee of a school board if the person:
- is a Canadian citizen;
- is of the full age of 18 years, or will be at the date of the election;
- is an actual resident in the school division or school district, and will have been so for a period of at least six months at the date of the election; and
- is not disqualified under any other provision of this Act or under any other Act, and is not otherwise by law prohibited from being a trustee or from voting at elections in the school division or school district.
Section 22(2) of The Public Schools Act specifies that certain individuals may not be nominated or serve as trustees: members of the Legislative Assembly or the Senate or House of Commons of Canada, and pupils in regular attendance at a school within the same school division or district.
Section 40(1) of The Municipal Councils and School Boards Elections Act prohibits an individual from holding or being nominated for more than one office on an elected authority at the same time, and Section 40(2) stipulates that anyone serving on a municipal council or school board must resign that office before being nominated to run another authority's by-election.
Candidates for school board office must actually reside in the school division or district for which they are seeking election; they are not eligible for office if they are non-resident property-owners or rate-payers. However, individuals do not need to be residents of the specific ward in which they wish to run, as long as they do reside within the division or district as a whole.
Employees may run for and serve as trustees in the division or district where they are employed, providing they take a leave of absence from their employment white serving. This unpaid leave must be granted by the division or district, for a period of time not exceeding five years.
A nomination paper contains the following:
- A statement by the candidate identifying their name, residential address, telephone number and the office for which they are seeking to be nominated;
- A statement under oath by the candidate that they are qualified to be nominated for the office, and that to the best of their knowledge. the information provided in their nomination paper is true.
Candidates seeking election for School Trustee must obtain on their nomination paper a minimum of 25 signatures of voters whose name appear on the PLPSD Ward 3 voters list for the school division ward in which they are seeking election.
Names will be subject to verification on the voters list, candidates should obtain extra names to ensure that the minimum number of voter signatures is met. The names of voters signing a candidate's nomination paper will be verified when the candidate files their nomination paper.
Questions regarding the nomination process can be directed to:
Ms. Andrea McCabe
Senior Election Official (S.E.O)
Rural Municipality of Portage la Prairie
(204) 857-3821
Source: Manitoba School Boards Association
School Boards & Trusteeship
- Be it resolved - A resolutions primer for Manitoba school boards
- Remote Meetings: Tips for School Board Members to Look and Sound Their Best Online
- School Board Member Handbook
- School Boards and Trusteeship in Manitoba
- Commissions scolaires et commissaires d'école au Manitoba
- Leading Together: A Resource Guide for School Boards, Superintendents and Secretary-Treasurers
Governance
- Governing School Boards & Student Achievement (infographic)
- Elected School boards and High Quality Education (A literature review on the linkages between high-quality public education systems and governing school boards, published by CSBA)