City Councilor John Middleton-Hope does not have to step down from council after being selected as the UCP Nominee for the Lethbridge-West byelection.
According to a statement released by the City of Lethbridge, running for a federal or provincial seat does not mean a councillor has to stop serving a city representative.
“A candidate for a federal or provincial office is only required to resign upon being elected as Member of Parliament or Member of the Legislative Assembly,” the city statement reads. “There are no legislated requirements for them to take a leave of absence or resign in the campaign period leading up to the election.”
Even though the candidate does not have to step down during the election, they can not use any City property, equipment, services, or staff resources for anything other than their city council duties.
According to the statement, the Municipal Government Act does not require a by-election for one councillor vacancy 18 months before a general election and because the next general election is in October 2025 it is within the 18-month window.
“In any event, Council could pass a resolution to hold a byelection for any vacancy at any time, if they deemed it necessary.”
Middleton-Hope was named the UCP candidate Monday night, beating out Erin Leclerc and Shauna Gruninger for the nomination. He will be running against the NDP’s Rob Miyashiro in a by-election for the vacant MLA seat that was left open when Shannon Phillips stepped down this past summer. A date for the by-election has not been set.
