The previous assembly of council from the Village of Canal Flats held their final meeting Monday, November 24th.

There was no discrepancy over the succeeding councillors who were elected, however there was an error in a post-election statistic.

Initially, CivicInfo, the online database for B.C. municipalities, posted that 286 out of 646 eligible voters casted a ballot. The number of ballots casted was correct, but the number of eligible voters was above its actuality

“CivicInfo had the number at 646. That’s a bit high considering our population at the last Census is 711,” said Sylvie Hoobanoff, deputy director of corporate services for Canal Flats. ” So, we did a quick calculation here in the office and it should be 560 eligible voters.”

The per centage of eligible voters was risen from 44 to 51.

“It shows that people are engaged and wanted to make their voices heard, it was wonderful that we had so many people come out,” said mayor Ute Juras. “Especially the younger people; 18 to early 20s, I was really happy about that.”

Though a new council has been elected, last week’s meeting was held before the swearing in ceremony, so outgoing councillors Gilbert Delorme and Dean Midyette were included.

“It’s very exciting that we have a balance between two incumbents and two newcomers as part of the next council,” Ms. Juras said. The councillors will offer a strong mix of experience with and fresh ideas, she said.

“I’m excited to work with them – it’s going to be an interesting four years.”

The most notable item on the agenda was a presentation by Tracy Flynn from the Columbia Lake Stewardship Society. With help from Canal Flats’ conservation grant, the group has been performing water well testing, and monitoring the water at Columbia Lake, Columbia River, and the headwaters. Before the summer, they aim to have a decontamination unit on the beach, which will allow boaters the knowledge and tools to keep their boats free of invasive species.

“So far columbia lake does not have any invasive species, so that’s good to know,” Mr. Juras said.

The first meeting with the new council will be held on Monday, December 8th at 6:30 p.m.