The Akisqnuk First Nation re-elected its chief and elected three new councillors last week.

The May 20th election had 96 out of 206 eligible voters turn out and saw incumbent chief Lorne Shovar keep his position. Mr. Shovar will be joined on the Akisqnuk council by two new full four-year-term councillors,  Allan Nicholas and Rosemary Phillips, and by another new councillor Don Sam, who will serve a half-term as he is taking over from a councillor who stepped down mid-term.

The five-member council is rounded out by Lucille Shovar, who was elected to a four-year term in 2012.

The Akisqnuk typically hold two staggered elections to determine the First Nation’s council, with just two or three councillors voted in for any given election. The remaining positions are then decided in another election a couple years later.

This year was different, because of the councillor who was voted in at the 2012 election then stepped down mid-term, which in effect created a by-election situation.

Two incumbent councillors (Beatrice Stevens and Marguerite Copper) and three other candidates (Jason Nicholas, Jennifer Nicholas-Hall and Lillian Rose) were on the ballot, but did not win a council seat.

The previous council will continue to operate for a month with the new council sitting in to learn how things run before taking over.