Interested in Running for Council?

The RM has seven elected positions: one mayor and six councillors. There are three councillors in each ward. This group is known as council. The mayor is chair of council and represents the entire RM.

What are the qualifications to be mayor or a councillor?

You must be:

  • A Canadian citizen
  • At least 18 years of age on Election Day
  • A voter in the municipality (you are a resident or own property for six months prior to the date of the election)

Why would you want to be mayor or a councillor?

  • You care about your community
  • You want to make your community better
  • You want to serve and give back
  • You want to make a difference
  • You want to help set direction for the community

Key Dates at a Glance

Candidate RegistrationMayor - May 1, 2018 to September 18, 2018
Councillors - June 30, 2018 to September 18, 2018
NominationSeptember 12, 2018 to September 18, 2018
Campaign PeriodMayor - May 1, 2018 to March 31, 2019
Councillors - June 30, 2018 to March 31, 2019
Withdrawal DeadlineSeptember 19, 2018
Election DayOctober 24, 2018
Filing of Election Finance StatementsNo later than 210 days (May 22, 2019) after the election.
Senior Election Official – the election in the RM is handled by a Senior Election Official or SEO, with assistance from office staff. Council has appointed Ernie Epp as SEO. He can be reached by email at info@rmofstclements.com.

Download the Manitoba Municipal Relations 2018 Candidates Guidebookyour source for everything you need to know as a candidate

What are the responsibilities of a council?

Council sets direction for the municipality. Council develops and approves by-laws and policies that help in the decision-making process in a consistent and transparent manner. Duties also include being present at hearings for various initiatives, such as the annual financial plan hearing, and to make decisions on subdivision and variation applications.

Administratively, the Chief Administrative Officer is the main contact with council members. The senior staff team includes;

  • Manager of Administration
  • Public Works Manager
  • Protective Services Manager (part time)
  • Finance Officer
  • Communication Officer (part time)
  • Office Supervisor
  • Economic Development Officer (part time)
  • Recreation Director (part time)

What are the time demands to be a mayor or a councillor?

As a member of council, you will serve a four-year term to 2022. Your term officially begins at noon on October 25, 2018.

Meetings of Council

Each council member is expected to attend two formal council meetings and typically one committee of the whole each month. In July and August,  council has only one council meeting per month. Currently meetings last between 3 and 6 hours and have been scheduled as follows;

  • Council meeting, Regular – Second Tuesday of the month at 9:30 am until approximately 2 pm
  • Council meeting, Planning – Fourth Tuesday of the month, 2 pm until approximately 9 pm

Council members are expected to prepare for the meetings by reading the agenda package and reports prior to the meeting. This can take between 2 to 4 hours per council meeting.

Please note that the council meeting schedule is set by municipal by-law, and a new council is able to change the meeting dates and times to accommodate new council members if needed.

Committee Meetings

Each council member is typically appointed to 3 or more of 21 committees that have RM representation. These committees may meet monthly or quarterly or on an as needed basis. These meetings are often in the evenings Monday through Thursday.

Other Time Commitments

Council members often feel obligated to support community events such as parades, Christmas parties, and staff/volunteer recognition events as well. Speaking with the public is an important responsibility of council members. Council members will likely receive some phone calls and direct emails, but are just as likely to be approached at the grocery store or a sporting event.

The demands on the time of a council member ebbs and flows throughout the year and throughout the four-year term. Orientation, monthly committee of the whole, long term planning, public hearings and budget meetings are all examples of an additional time commitment. Council members claim compensation for these meetings.

Conferences and training workshops play an important role in training new council members and developing a network of contacts to help council discover the various “best practices” used by other municipalities in Manitoba. Council members claim compensation for these meetings.

How much time does that add up to on a monthly basis?

Excluding conferences, which are optional, meetings of council and committees and conversations with citizens have historically taken between 20 to 30 hours a month. A typical council member attends between 7 and 20 days away annually for conferences. All attendance at conferences must be approved by resolution of council.

Do I get paid to be mayor or a councillor?

  • Monthly compensation for a Council member is $1,650 and $2,200 for the Mayor. Committee and conference work is compensated at a rate of $24 per hour. These rates are outlined in By-law No.4-2018 which you can download here. Council members are compensated $192 per day for conferences.
  • Currently, one-third of the honorarium is exempt from income tax but this will be changing in 2019. Starting in 2019, none of the honorarium will be income tax exempt.

What are the pressing issues for the municipality at this time?

Good decisions are most likely to occur when good information is provided and understood by Council members. Each term, a number of key reports and studies are completed to aid the Council in setting the direction of the Municipality. Reports developed from 2010 to 2014 helped set the direction of the municipality that was summarized in the 2015-2018 RM of St. Clements Strategic Plan. The following list includes links to key documents currently available on the RM website.

Long Term Planning

The Red River Planning Development Plan provides an excellent starting point to understanding the long term goals of the Municipality.

The recent Selkirk and District Foundation report, Vital Signs Report 2018 - Mind the Gap, is a high level look at some of the challenges a new Council may seek to address.

Environment

Drinking water, the health of our waterways, climate change, solid and liquid waste are all vital topics to consider when making every decision.

Key reports include:

Quality of Life

Many of the recreation services for the municipality are provided by non profit organizations scattered throughout the municipality. This includes the East Selkirk Rec Association, Libau Community Club, Patricia Beach Community Hall, Grand Marais Rec Centre and Grand Marais Community Central which all receive some funding from the municipality to assist with the building and program costs.  We also provide funding to East St. Paul to assist with the provision of programs in the southern part of the municipality.

We are lucky to have four provincial parks in or adjacent to the RM, great sport fishing, Lake Winnipeg Beaches and the Trans Canada trail.

Key reports include: