This year funeral homes, indoor soccer fields and a yacht club are just some places Hamiltonians will be casting their votes
When Megan Renaud received her voter information card for the upcoming federal election in the mail last week, she laughed.
To Renaud's surprise, her polling location changed from the seniors condominium she voted in last election. This year, she'll be casting her ballot at Truscott, Brown and Dwyer Funeral Chapel - a funeral and cremation site in Hamilton.
It's a bit of a morbid location (for Elections Canada) to choose," she said. Going into one might be pretty traumatic for some people."
This funeral home isn't the only one Hamiltonians will vote at - Marlatt Funeral Home and Cremation Centre is also serving as a polling location.
Funeral homes aren't the only unusual spots where Hamiltonians will cast their ballots - art galleries, outdoor tents near a Tim Hortons, a yacht club and an indoor soccer facility are also transforming into polling locations come Sept. 20.
We needed to find polling places that would offer more safety measures, especially social distancing," said Elections Canada spokesperson Nathalie de Montigny. With schools and seniors residences mostly out of the question for this election due to the pandemic, they had to get creative and find new locations in less than a month.
Soccer World, an indoor soccer facility, was another solution to help keep voters safe.
The (Elections Canada) person was basically driving the streets looking for a location," said Duncan Macintosh, owner of Soccer World. They were really under the gun to find locations."
In 24 hours, Elections Canada scouted the location, conducted an inspection for accessibility and social distancing requirements, and signed a contract with Macintosh for full-access to Soccer World from 7 a.m. to 12 a.m. on election day.
I see it as part of my civic duty," said Macintosh.
Whether you're on the pitch, in a funeral home, under a tent in a parking lot or looking out to the marina at a yacht club on election day, check out the Spectator's voting guide so you know what to expect when you head to the polls.
Alessia Passafiume is an intern reporter with The Spectator. Reach her via email: apassafiume@thespec.com