Manitoba sets byelection in The Pas for April 21

Voters in the northern Manitoba constituency of The Pas will go to the polls next month to elect a new MLA for the area.

The provincialbyelectionin The Pas will be held on April 21, Premier Greg Selinger announced on Friday.

The constituency has been vacant since May 16, 2014, when Frank Whitehead stepped down for health and family-related reasons.

• Northern MLA steps down due to personal reasons
• Some New Democrats in The Pas call coin-toss tiebreaker ludicrous

The announcement of a byelection comes one day after CBC News revealed that some New Democrats in The Pas were outraged that a coin toss determined who will represent the NDP in the byelection.

Amanda Lathlin won the coin toss, which broke a tie between her and fellow front-runner Florence Duncan after a second round of voting last weekend.

Lathlin, who is the daughter of former NDP MLA and cabinet minister Oscar Lathlin, is set to run against Progressive Conservative candidate Jacob Nasekapowis.

The Pas has been considered a safe seat for the NDP, as a New Democrat has represented the constituency since 1969.

Nominations for the byelection will officially close at 1 p.m. on April 6 and advance polls will be held April 11-18.

There are currently 36 New Democrats, 19 Progressive Conservatives, one Liberal and one vacant seat in the provincial legislature.