The second candidate vying for Board Trustee in Chinook School Division's by-election for sub-division four has been confirmed.

Former Director of Education for Hudson Bay School Division and Farmer in the Gull Lake area Brent Castle has joined the by-election ballot.

"My whole life has been education and I still want to be involved in education because it's my passion," Castle told Swift Current Online. "An opportunity came up, so I thought here's an opportunity for me represent this area and I think it would be a great add-on to what I love doing."

The former principal applauds what the Chinook School Division has been able to recently while adding he would be able to bring a different perspective to the board if elected.

"What I've seen over the last three years, the Chinook School Division is doing a good job," Castle said. "What I could bring is a strong background in education, so I've been sitting on the other side of the table as a director or principal and talking to the board. I think it would be very exciting and challenging to be on the other side of the board."

Sub-division four was previously held by former 40-year Board Trustee Bernie Ford, who passed away on Boxing Day of 2016.

"I knew Bernie very well. Back when I was young I started teaching as an intern at Tompkins School and later on in my senior hockey days he was our coach," Castle stated. "I knew him very well, he was almost like a dad to me and everybody respected him."

The 40-year veteran looked after three public schools in Wymark, Gull Lake, and Tompkins. He was also the trustee for seven Hutterian schools that are located in the colonies of Tompkins, Grassy Hill, Carmichael, Bone Creek, Earview, Webb, and McMahon.

"He was quite the character and he's left some big shoes to fill because he was with the board for 40-years. People (in his constituency) respected him and counted on him."

Advance polling for Chinook School Division by-election will take place on Tuesday, March 28 from 1-4:30 p.m. at the Chinook Education Centre.

The by-election for sub-division four will be held on Wednesday, April 12, 2017, from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Voter stations can be found at Gull Lake School, Tompkins Village Office, Webb Village Office and Wymark School.