The five councillors elected earlier this month at Pelican Narrows will be allowed to keep their seats according to a weekend ruling from a federal court judge.
The Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation election was held on April 13 for every community except Sturgeon Landing, which had its activities postponed due to a COVID outbreak.
Head electoral officer Burke Ratte initially said the ballots for all councillors in all remaining communities would be counted after the polls closed, with ballots for chief counted after Sturgeon Landing held their vote. However, in a follow-up statement on the day of the election, Ratte said every ballot (chief, councillors and Elder’s council) would be counted after Sturgeon Landing voted. Every voting community except Pelican Narrows complied, and Ratte ordered a re-vote for that community.