Courtenay-Alberni voters can cast their ballots in the federal election as early as Friday, April 18,
Advance voting continues on Saturday, Sunday and Monday (April 19-21) from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Electors must vote only at their assigned polling place. This is different from the process in some provincial elections, where electors can vote at any polling location.
On the west coast, there is only one polling station open for the federal election (unlike the process for the provincial election). This polling station is at Tofino Community Hall, 351 Arnet Road. The poll will be open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. from Friday, April 18 to Monday, April 21 inclusive.
Voters can find the address for their assigned polling station on the back of their voter information card, by visiting elections.ca or by calling 1-800-463-6868.
To vote, electors must prove their identity and address. The list of accepted ID can be found online.
Another early-voting option is to vote at any Elections Canada office by April 22 at 6 p.m. The locations for west coast communities can be found online. There are two offices for the Courtenay-Alberni riding: in Port Alberni and in Parksville. The offices are open seven days a week: Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sundays from noon to 4 p.m.
Residents can also vote by mail using the special ballot process. The deadline to apply to vote by special ballot is Tuesday, April 22, and the marked ballot must be returned by election day – Monday, April 28.
Visit the Elections Canada website to apply to vote by mail.
Candidates running in Courtenay-Alberni are: Brian Cameron (Liberal Party); Thomas Gamble (People's Party of Canada); Gord Johns (NDP, incumbent); Teresa Knight (Animal Protection Party); Chris Markevich (Green Party); Kris McNichol (Conservative Party); Jesse Musial (Christian Heritage Party of Canada).
