Concerns mount about caretaker government and extended election campaign

By the time all the votes have been counted in the ongoing the provincial election, Newfoundland and Labrador will have been without a sitting legislature for three months, instead of nearly a month, and that delay appears to be causingunexpected problems.

The original Feb.13election date has been pushed back several timesafter a outbreak of theCOVID-19 variant B117 ended in-person voting.The deadline for voters to return their ballots is now set for March 25.

In the meantime, says the Newfoundland and Labrador Association of Public and Private Employees,the routine business of government isn't getting done. The union said there is a shortage of workers in long-term care and child protection, and they aren't able to hire new workers.

Craig Pollett, CEO of Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador,saysapproved capital works projects in towns and cities across the province are stalled because provincial funding just hasn't come through.

He said there's also lack of clarity about caretaker convention that the provincial government is expected to followthe during the election period.

"It seems that there's far too much inconsistency across departments and there's no clarity, in general, for folks who run up against this about why it's there, what it is, how far reaching it is," Pollett said.

But Finance Minister Siobhan Coady says people do have recourse if they don't like what they're hearing from government officials.

"I would urge anyone that has any concerns to take it to the department that they would normally deal with and that can be discussed with the clerk of the executive council," she said.

Read more from CBC Newfoundland and Labrador