The Councilor for the Cape Breton area will be chosen by drawing lots after a tie

It will be the luck of the draw who chooses the next councilor for a northern Cape Breton district after two candidates tied for the same number of votes in the recent municipal election.

Amy MacKinnon and Wanda Hennick both received 145 votes on October 19 in the district that includes the Victoria County communities of Dingwall, Aspy Bay and Bay St. Lawrence. To break the tie, the winner will be chosen by lottery on Friday — a selection process stipulated in Nova Scotia Municipal Elections Act.

Hennick said the results of the vote came as a “shock” to everyone in the district. The random drawing is undemocratic, she said, and makes some people in her district feel like their votes won’t count. The winner should be decided in a by-election, she added.

“I’m not happy,” she said in an interview. “We owe our voters real elections. They didn’t vote for someone’s name to be pulled out of a box. If that was the case, why didn’t they do that in the first place? They feel like their votes were taken away to them.”

MacKinnon could not immediately be reached for comment.

Each province has its own rules about what to do if a municipal election ends in a tie. Newfoundland and Labrador and New Brunswick follow the same procedure as Nova Scotia. In Prince Edward Islanda coin flip determines the winner, while in Ontario the deciding vote is cast by the returning officer.

Victoria County President Blair Gallop says the Oct. 19 election isn’t the only time there’s been a tie in municipal politics in Nova Scotia; in 1979, Harvey Lewis became mayor of Louisbourg after his name was drawn from a hat.

Hennick said he would travel to Sydney, NS, for the story, although he initially considered boycotting it. Regardless of Friday’s outcome, she believes her district will be in good hands.

“It’s 50-50. We’re both strong women in this district and we do a lot for our community here, so I’m confident that if I’m not (elected) the district will be very well looked after with Amy, if I win then perfect.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on November 21, 2024.

For more news from Nova Scotia, visit dedicated provincial page.