Greenwood voters will have a public forum where they can hear from the candidates in the city’s October byelection.
Greenwood’s board of trade voted to host an all candidates meeting at the city’s MacArthur Centre Community Hall next week, board president Martin Huhn confirmed late Wednesday, Sept. 23.
The forum will start some time Monday evening, Sept. 28, and will be moderated by Vanessa Chartier, who moderated Greenwood’s forum ahead of the last general election two years ago.
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The meeting, to be broadcast on Facebook Live, will not feature a candidates’ debate. Chartier will instead put questions to the candidates, who will each have one minute to respond.
Candidates will start the evening with three “rebuttal cards” they can use to respond to questions put to their opponents. Candidates can’t refute each other candidates’ answers, Huhn stressed.
Leaving it for Chartier to finalize the logistical details, Huhn said, “it’s going to be her show after we give her the paper work tomorrow afternoon.”
As per provincial COVID guidelines, the board will cap the audience at the MacArthur centre at 50 people, including candidates, Chartier, and event volunteers.
Greenwood voters who can’t attend can send one short question to candidates via the board of trade’s Facebook messenger.
“It has to be through Facebook messenger. We’ll just delete questions that are posted as comments to our page.”
Voters attending the forum can each hand Chartier one written question she will then put to the candidates.
The board of trade hasn’t prepared a specific budget for the event, but Huhn estimated that costs would be minimal.
“We’ll provide a sound system and plenty of hand sanitizer,” he said.
Huhn said he would post the full details on the board of trade’s Facebook page Thursday afternoon, Sept. 24.
Advance polls open at the MacArthur Centre from 8 a.m to 8 p.m, Wednesday Sept. 30.
General polls will be at the centre over the same time frame Saturday, Oct. 10.
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