Federal election candidates in the Cariboo-Prince George riding will be in Williams Lake for an all-candidates meet and greet on Wednesday, Oct. 16 at the Tourism Discovery Centre.
The free event will give local residents the opportunity to talk with the candidates one-on-one.
Hosted by the Williams Lake and District Chamber of Commerce in partnership with the BC Northern Real Estate Board, the meet and greet will run from 5 to 8 p.m.
“At some point when the evening gets busy we will give each candidates five minutes to address the crowd,” said Mark Doratti, chamber executive director.
Candidates for the riding include Tracy Calogheros, Liberal, Todd Doherty, Conservative, Mackenzie Kerr, Green, Jing Lan Yang, People’s Party of Canada, Heather Sapergia, NDP and Mike Orr, Independent. Both Sapergia and Orr are unable to attend due to previous commitments, Doratti said.
When asked why the chamber went with the meet and greet format, Doratti said it worked well with the municipal election so it seemed to make sense to use the same format.
“Every time there is an election we try to do something and we honestly thought someone else would come up with a debate forum.”
During the municipal election meet and greet around 400 residents attended and the chamber hopes that 500 to 600 people, at least, will attend the federal event.
“We will have both the downstairs and upstairs open, and an area for each candidate to set up,” Doratti added.
Recently the chamber released candidate interview videos featuring Calogheros, Doherty, Kerr, Yang and Sapergia.
The videos will be available to view until Sunday Oct. 20. General election day is Monday, Oct. 21.
Doratti said the membership solicited for questions to ask the candidates and narrowed it down from 13 questions to three.
The Tribune has also been running questions and answers each week in the printed edition and on its website with all of the candidates.
There will be advance voting opportunities during the upcoming Thanksgiving weekend with advance polling stations open in Williams Lake at the Seniors Activity Centre and the Alexis Creek Community Hall.
Read more: Advance polling stations will be open all Thanksgiving weekend
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