From Ikea to a horse-racing track, Winnipeg polling stations look different this election

Instead of shopping forfurniture or grabbing meatballs, some Winnipeggerswere castingballots at the city's Ikea store on Monday.

The large retailer converted some of its food hall spaceinto a polling station for the 2021 federal election.

"Too bad I didn't need anything here today do a little shopping," voter John Mirus said outside the store on Monday, election day in Canada.

The unusual polling station is one sign of how this year's election is different fromprevious years because of the pandemic.

Elections Canada had to find some non-traditional polling locations large enough to ensure voters could practise physical distancing,after the provincesaidschools could not be used asvoting locations, citing concerns about the potential spread of COVID-19.

Local malls,community centres and the Assiniboia Downs race track also served as polling stations this year.

Elections Canada has limited the number of people allowed inside polling stations at one time to ensure adequate physical distancing, which meant more people had to lineup outside than in past elections.

Inside, sanitizing stations were set up at entrance and exit points, plexiglass barriers separated voters from poll workersand frequently touched surfaces were also regularly cleaned.

Parent Saniya Riyazsaid she had no problem making the drive to Ikea to cast her ballot.

"I'd rather vote here than vote at the schools, to be honest right now, during a pandemic. I think it's a safer option."

Several voters CBC spoke withsaid casting their ballot atAssiniboia Downs was quick and easy.

But Donna Hayward expressed frustration with the accessibility ofthe racing track. She uses a walker and struggled with the long walk in and out of the polling station.

"In the polling [station],when you go to mark your ballot, it's so dark I couldn't see," she said.

"So I had to come out where there was light to mark my ballot, and then the walk back, it's very very difficult as someone with disabilities."

21 names on ballot

Meanwhile, inSaint Boniface-Saint Vital,the length of the ballot presented a challenge for some.

There were 21candidates on the ballot the majority of them independents promptedto put their names forward by Sbastien Corriveau, leader of the satirical Rhinoceros Party.

Corriveau, who lives in Rimouski, Que., told CBC earlier in the month that he was motivated to induce the list after the Liberal Party of Canada failed to follow through on an electoral reform campaign pledge to get rid of the first-past-the-post system.

Mike Wolanik wasn't too appreciative of thatMonday morning, when hevoted at the Franco-Manitoban Cultural Centre, and predicted it wouldbe a big headache for others, too.

"It's going to be a gong show. The ballot's too big. It's too long," he said. "The [poll worker] had a problem tearing it out of the book the whole thing was just ripping.

"It's going to be a long day for some people."

The ballot wasn't the only thing that botheredWolanik. The election as a whole just two years after the last one wasunnecessary and poorly timed, he said.

"My mind was made up right at the beginningbecause I didn't think there should be an election when you have a pandemic," he said, addinghe went to the polls early Monday so he could clear his day to go fishing.

Victoria Alapa, who was voting in her second-ever election as a Canadian, expected the pandemic would make some nervous about going out to a busy polling station.

"But it is something that we have to do as a citizen, as a Canadian," she said.

"I want to exercise my right to vote, hopefully for the good of the country. I pray that everything goes well and we appoint a leader that will lead us for the good of everybody, for respect for all and for peace in the land."

Advance voting up

Emmanuel David Kwilukama, who just turned 18 and wasvoting in his firstelection, also voted Monday at the Franco-Manitoban Cultural Centre. He said economic and climate plans were the first and foremost issues on his mind.

"Unfortunately, our parents aren't going to be the ones that are going to be dealing with the repercussions of climate change. It's going to be my generation and our kids," thefirst-year university student said.

Another university student who voted Monday said she was frustrated Elections Canada scrapped its on-campus voting program.

Fourth-year University of Winnipeg studentCierra Bettens, who lives in SouthSt. Vital, said she had to hitch aride to her voting station atMaple Grove Park, fearing it would be dangerous to bike there.

She said she had planned to take the bus, but learned the stationswasn't accessible by Winnipeg Transit.

"To have really the only means of transportation that is safe be car I think is, to me, an act of voter suppression for people who can't get access to it on election day."

Elections Canada spokesperson Marie-France Kenny said she was sorry to hearabout the accessibility issues some faced at the polls Monday.

In an interview with CBC Radio's Up To Speed, she said polling stations have to meet accessibility criteria, and most have wheelchairs available and staff to help voters.

"Under the circumstances, I know it's hard for people to hear this, but it was a hard year for our returning officers, and I think they were creative in terms of finding polling locations," she told host Faith Fundal.

Ahead of election day, record numbers of Manitobansalreadyvoted in advance polls.Early voter turnout in this federal election is up 57per cent in the Prairie province compared to2019, Elections Canada said in a statement on Sept. 14.

About 1.2million Canadians requested special ballot voting kitsas of Sunday, Elections Canada data suggests, enabling them to vote by mail or at a local Elections Canada office.The majority over one million live within their own electoral riding.

During the 2019 election, only about 55,000 Canadian voters opted for mail-in ballots, with the majority going to people living outside of Canada. Only about 5,000 kits went to those who were voting from their own riding, Elections Canada said.

So far this election, over 38,000 Manitobans haverequested voter kits, and about 80per cent of those have gone to people voting from inside their riding.

The sheer number of mail-in ballots means Canadiansmay go to bed not knowing the results of the election on Monday night. They might not even know who won by Tuesdaymorning.

Elections Canada isn't counting hundreds of thousands of these local special ballotsuntil Tuesday.

These ballots have to go throughverifications, including ensuring those who voted by mail didn'talsovotein-person on election day.

CBC News will have comprehensive coverage with real-time results, big election night news and analysis about how the vote is unfolding, including how the results will impact Manitobans.

From Ikea to a horse-racing track, Winnipeg polling stations look different this election

3 years ago

Duration 1:27

The unusual polling stations in Winnipeg are a sign of how this year's election is different from previous years because of the pandemic.