Canadians packing the polls

Retired construction manager Romeo Croatto went to cast his early ballot shortly after polls opened at 9 a.m. Friday — catching what appears to be a nationwide wave of early voting.

Croatto, 83, was among the many voters who turned out early on Good Friday to Norberry-Glenlee Community Centre in the St. Boniface—St. Vital riding to cast advanced ballots. Election day is April 28.

“I’ve always believed in the voting system — and I’m just exercising my right to do it,” said Croatto.

Advanced polls are open for four days from Friday until Monday, with a handful of polling stations open in each riding from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. each day.

Many Winnipeg polling stations were packed on Friday, in line with similar sights at busy advance voting locations across Canada.

At River East Mennonite Church on Panet Road, prospective early voters were warned of a half-hour to 45-minute wait to vote.

In Wolseley, at R.A. Steen Community Centre on Palmerston Avenue, elections officials brought in extra staff to split the workload in the morning, where the wait was about an hour.

Pierre Guérin, a polls operation manager for Elections Canada, said officials never quite know how many people will come to vote in advance, but in the past few elections, more and more people have decided to cast their ballots early.

“You can expect lineups — in some cases, long lineups,” he said outside Norberry-Glenlee Community Centre Friday morning at around 10 a.m., as a line of voters began to snake from the door.

“We have noticed a trend over the past few years, there are more and more people availing themselves of advanced polling, so we think it’s becoming more and more important.”

But, Guérin added, elections officials at the centre were surprised to see the full extent of the early turnout at the station.

“We have noticed a trend over the past few years, there are more and more people availing themselves of advanced polling, so we think it’s becoming more and more important.”–Pierre Guérin

Guérin, who has worked for the federal voting authority the last three elections since his retirement, said it is rewarding to do so.

“In this day and age, I think we’re privileged to have the system that we have, so it is a privilege also to be involved and to be working the election,” he said.

Croatto, who normally votes in advance polls, cast his ballot for Conservative candidate Shola Agboola.

He said he thinks leader Pierre Poilievre is the best bet to boost Canadian energy production to offset taxes and improve affordability, which are chief among his various political concerns.

“When you’re paying $10 for a box of baby tomatoes… it’s insanity,” said Croatto. “Two heads of lettuce, $4.”

Croatto doubts the Conservative candidate will take St. Boniface-St. Vital this year but said there’s always a chance for an upset.

Cheryl Lemoine, 48, also turned out early to vote at the Worthington Avenue polling station. She waited about 45 minutes to cast her ballot.

Lemoine normally votes on election day and noted she had never before waited in a line to cast her ballot.

“But, I have the time — it’s a holiday — and it felt like I just needed to do this, get it done, I don’t want to delay it,” she said.

Lemoine’s electoral concerns have shifted with U.S. President Donald Trump’s rhetoric heating up, as the American leader has threatened to make Canada the 51st state and began a trade war with Canada, Mexico and the rest of the world in recent weeks.

“It very much scares me — that’s top of mind,” she said. “Aside from that, it’s affordability, housing, what kind of a future we’re going to have.”

Lemoine voted for Liberal candidate Ginnette Lavack. She’ll sometimes vote Liberal and other times for the New Democratic Party, but never votes Conservative, she said.

Lemoine finds Liberal leader Mark Carney’s record as an economist and banker — he was governor of the Bank of Canada and later of the Bank of England — appealing.

“He’s an economic expert through-and-through, and he’s a businessman, he’s business-minded, which I think appeals to Trump, I think they could have a dialogue, an exchange,” she said.

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People can also vote early at any Elections Canada office any day before April 23, or vote by mail. The deadline to register to vote by mail is April 22.

Once someone applies to vote by mail they cannot vote at advance polls or on election day.

Nearly five million people voted at advance polls in the 2019 election, and 5.8 million did so in the 2021 campaign.

— with files from the Canadian Press

erik.pindera@freepress.mb.ca

Erik Pindera
Reporter

Erik Pindera is a reporter for the Free Press, mostly focusing on crime and justice. The born-and-bred Winnipegger attended Red River College Polytechnic, wrote for the community newspaper in Kenora, Ont. and reported on television and radio in Winnipeg before joining the Free Press in 2020.  Read more about Erik.

Every piece of reporting Erik produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.