Efforts to bribe unsuspecting voters, allegations of candidate intimidation and a legal challenge to an election result have shed light on the turbulent, ruthless politics of a small community in western Canada.
The Supreme Court of British Columbia this week ruled on the dispute, upholding the hotly disputed results of a recent municipal election in Pows Coupe, a town of fewer than 800 people near the Alberta border.
“All politics is local,” Judge Ward Branch wrote in his ruling, before wearily recounting years of simmering feuds and grievances tearing the community apart.
The judge lamented that it had become the scene of several “political firestorms” out of proportion to its size, including allegations that cinnamon rolls and coffee were being used to buy votes in a tight mayoral race.
The issue was about the municipal election in October, in which former Mayor Lorraine Michetti lost her re-election bid to Councilman Daniel Veitch by a vote of 79 to 84.
But Michetti, who had been mayor since 2016, claimed her defeat was the result of election irregularities and “serious fraudulent misrepresentations” of her character. She previously petitioned the court to overturn the election result – or to be appointed mayor.
Among the questions the justice branch was forced to consider: was Veach’s decision to deliver six cinnamon rolls, tea and coffee to a campaign event a violation of provincial election rules?
Laurent Safran, who attended the Tea and Talk event at a local pizzeria, told the court she only ate part of a roll, adding that it was “absolutely ridiculous” to suggest her vote could be “bought” with a cup of coffee and a snack.
The court heard that of the six scones bought by Veech, only two were eaten by those present – she took the other four home to her family.
Branch concluded that rather than violating election rules, the gesture was “just human decency and courtesy” given the early morning time of the event.
Micetti was already a controversial figure in the community. In 2021, the council voted to remove her from all committee and board duties after she made a Facebook post that was widely denounced as racist by community members and Indigenous people.
“Don’t want Pipeline’s? [sic] They want to protect our land. Yeah, well,” she posted, along with images of homes with front yards littered with trash.
Micetti, who has also likened gun owners to Holocaust victims and cited conspiracy theories, has sued the city at least twice and blamed a “cancellation culture” and “thugs” for the criticism she received from councilors and residents alike .
In February 2021, she wrote in a statement that she was “humbly saddened” that her posts, which were perceived as anti-Semitic and anti-Indigenous and engaged in cultural sensitivity and anger management training, but resisted calls for her to resign.
Much of the court docket consists of voters and candidates trading personal insults — a reality that captures the deeply personal nature of the city’s political environment, where Facebook comments can turn into personal confrontations.
“You hope that all municipalities have a political culture where the people who get involved — and win — are equal and can separate personal disputes from community administration,” said Justin McElroy, municipal affairs reporter for CBC British Columbia. “That didn’t happen in the Pouce Coupe.”
McElroy said the case raises interesting questions about voter turnout, but the years of drama also underscore the difficulty of removing controversial political leaders who have not yet completed their terms and who refuse to step down.
“From the outside, it’s funny to read such stories. But they’re also tragic when you think about all the good things that could be happening in this municipality that just aren’t happening because of the paralysis.”
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