Orientation workshop for school board elections

Any person intending to run for the post of commissioner in the upcoming November 4, 2007 school board elections is invited to a training and orientation session to be held Tuesday, September 18, in the Salle Lavoie ABC of the Hilton Laval, 2225 autoroute des Laurentides, starting at 7:30 pm.

The workshop, given under the auspices of the Director-General of Elections, will be conducted in English. It will cover among other things, the financing of elections and the regulations specifically governing election expenses for candidates for school commissioner.

Karine Lacoste, spokesperson for the Director-General of Elections, says that the Laval session will be conducted in English based on the 2003 invitation, which attracted only 9 people for the French session while 35 prospective candidates were enrolled in the English version, a reflection she adds, of the fact that only two of the 21 French seats were contested, compared with fourteen out of 19 for the English board.

"I highly recommend it to anyone interested in running for a commissioner's post," Laurier School Board chairman Steve Bletas told Courrier Laval Weekly News. "It's a good opportunity to acquaint oneself with the dynamics of undertaking the important commitment of seeking to represent the community in the field of education by seeking election to the school board," he added.

Although there are no French sessions in Laval, prospective candidates can avail themselves of a similar service in Montreal (September 17), Charlemagne (September 18), Saint-Jérôme (September 19) or Longueuil (September 19). No reservations are required.

Mrs. Lacoste also indicates that it's possible to obtain individualized training by telephone at 1-866-225-4087. A Candidate's Guide to Elections is also available. An interactive exercise can also be accessed at www.electionsquebec.qc.ca.

This training and orientation program was implemented in 2003, when new rules regulating election expenses for candidates in school board elections came into force.