Want to have lunch with NDP Leader Andrea Horwath? Well, according to fundraising emails from the party, donate now and you will automatically enter a contest to win lunch with Horwath.
“Will your name be the one I pick,?” Gissel Yanes, the party's campaign director, asks in the email.
Similar emails were sent by the major parties over the weekend, with advance polls opening June 1 across Ontario, including Nickel Belt and Sudbury.
Ellen Kerr, returning officer for Sudbury, said about 1,000 Sudburians have already cast ballots ahead of the June 12 election.
“It has been pretty good, although not as high as last time,” Kerr said, about the turnout so far.
The ballots cast between now and June 6 – the end of the advance polling period – will remain sealed until the polls close June 12, Kerr said. While some residents may have heard about changes to voting rules as part of the Federal Election Act, she said changes haven't taken effect yet.
For example, you can still vote if you show up at the polling station without proof of your current address. As long as you are on the voter's list and have ID to prove who you are, you can cast a ballot, Kerr said.
“It's a lot easier if you have a driver's licence,” she said, but voters shouldn't be discouraged from participating.
In Nickel Belt, returning officer Pauline Renaud said about 1,200 have voted so far, a typical turnout although there's a few days left.
“It's really hard to gauge until the end,” she said.
While a much larger riding geographically than Sudbury, Renaud said people in smaller communities learn about things such as advance poll locations much more quickly, because they tend to be more engaged in their communities.
“So even in remote communities, word gets around,” she said.
Residents who are on the electors list, and who have the certificate mailed to all eligible voters, need only show two pieces of ID – one government issued, such as a birth certificate or OHIP card, as well as another with your full name, including debit and credit cards or a student card.
If you're not on the voter's list, you need official ID with your photo on it and your current address, like a driver's licence, as well as another document with your information on it – a utility bill, loan agreement, etc.
Full details on voting rules can be found at wemakevotingeasy.ca.
Advance polling locations, dates:
Nickel Belt (voting times 10 a.m.-8 p.m. unless otherwise indicated):
- Main election office, 3482 Errington Ave., Chelmsford, until June 6.- Dowling Citizens Centre, until June 3.
- Confederation Secondary School, 1918 Main St., Val Caron, until June 5.
- Club D'Acceuil Age D'Or, 64 Notre Dame St., Azilda, until June 3.
- Valley East Service Centre, 4100 Elmview Drive, Hanmer, until June 5.
- Coulson Court Seniors Centre, Capreol, until June 3.
- Garson Community Centre, 100 Church St., Garson, until June 3.
- St. Benedict's Catholic Secondary School, 2993 Algonquin Rd., until June 3.
- Meadowbrook Village, 18 Jacobson Drive, Lively, until June 5.
Satellite Office, 24 Delamere St., Alban, until June 6.
Go to wemakevotingeasy.ca for more details.
Sudbury:
Main returning office, 450 Notre Dame Ave., Sudbury, until June 6.
St. Andrew's Place, 111 Larch St., until June 5.
Church of the Ascension, 1476 Sparks St., until June 5.
Science North, 100 Ramsey Lake Rd., until June 5.
McClelland Community Arena, 51 Veteran's Rd., Copper Cliff, June 4-6.
Laurentian University, West Residence, 935 Ramsey Lake Rd., June 5-6.
Cambrian College, The Rafters, 1390 Barrydowne Rd., June 5-6.
College Boreal, Inco Residence, 21 Lasalle Blvd., June 5-6.
