THOUGHTS - Low Voter Turnout and The Impact of the Union Vote on Nanaimo Elections

 Low Voter Turnout

• "It's just a City Election." This is the sentiment among far too many Canadians. 
• In the 2018 Election, Voter Turnout was 40.4% (https://www.civicinfo.bc.ca/election-results-v3/index.php?localgovernmentid=78&select-year=2018&select-view-by=municipality)
• In the 2014 Election, Voter Turnout was 34% (https://www.civicinfo.bc.ca/election-results-v3/index.php?localgovernmentid=78&select-year=2018&select-view-by=municipality)
• In the 2011 Election, Voter Turnout was 28.7% (https://www.civicinfo.bc.ca/election-results-v3/index.php?localgovernmentid=78&select-year=2018&select-view-by=municipality)
• If one wanted to be charitable, one could say this shows an increasing improvement in Voter turnout, which is true. 
• But still...40.4% Voter Turnout being considered "good"...this is not what a Healthy Democracy looks like. 

The Union Vote : CUPE

• In 2018, CUPE (Canadian Union of Public Employees) endorsed Candidates for Nanaimo City Council. 
• In the message sent to CUPE Members, they were told to make sure to vote for the specific Candidates listed. 
• Those Candidates were : (Mayoral Candidate) Leonard Krog, (Council Candidates) Sheryl Armstrong, Guy Beaulieu (wasn't elected), Don Bonner, Tyler Brown, Ben Geselbracht, Erin Hemmens, Zeni Maartman, Ian Thorpe
• 8 of the 9 Candidates currently on Council were endorsed by CUPE. 
• CUPE is the Union of Nanaimo City Staff
• During the first 7 months of the New Councils time in office they negotiated a Wage Increase of 2% Per Year for the 4 year period between Jan 2019 and Dec 2022. 
• City Tax Payers pay City Staff. It does make sense for City Staff to insure they have people on Council who will look favorably on Salary negotiations doesn't it. 
• People have to be paid a proper wage for their level of productivity. Raises are a natural part of the Employer / Employee Relationship. I love Capitalism. I love Incentives. I think this is fine. 
• But, in the case of Citizens' Tax Money being used to pay Civil Servants, and Civil Servants selecting and ENDORSING specific Candidates, who will be in charge of hiring, firing, salary increases...call me crazy, but this seems problematic at best. 

The Union Vote : HEU

• In this Election the HEU (Hospital Employee's Union) has endorsed specific Candidates. 
• These Candidates are : (Mayoral Candidate) Leonard Krog, (Council Candidates) Ken Bennett, Don Bonner, Tyler Brown, Ben Geselbracht, Erin Hemmens, Zeni Maartman, Ian Thorpe
• Time for a Surprise 😮, Municipal Taxes collected are, in part, allocated for use by the Hospital. 
• In 2022, the city received a requisition request from the Hospital for an 88% increase over 2021 which already saw an increase of 34% over 2020. 
• To be fair, this was when Covid hit, and in all honesty is a perfectly understandable increase. 
• However, the central point remains. 
• The HEU, just like CUPE, has endorsed Candidates. These Candidates will have control over the use of Taxpayer's Money to fund their organizations and their salaries. 

The BIG Problem

• You see where I'm going with all this obviously. 
• Nanaimo has a very low Voter turnout. 
• City Council Candidates got Elected with Vote totals as Low as 8500 (out of more than 68,000 Eligible Voters). 
• With Vote totals so Low, and Unions Endorsing Specific Candidates, Unions with hundreds of Members, casting VERY VALUABLE Votes, in Elections with such low turnout, well, Council Candidates might feel a certain amount of...gratitude towards the Unions whose sheer numbers were a significant help to getting them elected. 
• This is all perfectly legal, and organizations are free to endorse whom they wish
• I just find it concerning that Members of City Council might feel some sense of indebtedness to any group when they are in control of Resident's Tax Money.