Floyd Roland to step down as Inuvik mayor in September

Inuvik's mayor now says he will be stepping down in early September to campaign as a Conservative candidate for the Northwest Territories in the upcoming federal election.

• RELATED:Floyd Roland will remain Inuvik's mayor as he campaigns for MP

Floyd Roland,who is campaigning in Hay RiverWednesday, says he plans to be back in his home community by the end of the week.

"As I have stated, I have taken annual leave for this week," he said in anemail."Once I get back into the office I plan to finalize a stepping down date in early Sept."

Earlier this week, Roland said he would use annual leave in order to campaign while remaining mayor ofInuvik. He clarified his plans lateTuesday.

As mayor, Roland gets 25 days of annual leave enough to cover just a fraction of the 78-day federal election campaign, one of the longest in Canada's modern history. There is no requirement for him to step down as mayor, but his NDP opponent Dennis Bevingtonquestioned his ability to perform effectively in both roles.

According toInuvik'ssenior administrative officer, Roland has not informed town council of his intentions.