Campbell River city councillor Michele Babchuk was injured in a fall Thursday night, resulting in the cancellation of an all-candidates forum at the Eagles Hall.
Babchuk, who is also a regional district director, was helping to set up tables for the forum when the accident took place, said Brian Shaw, chair of the Campbellton Neighbourhood Association (CNA), which organized the event.
“She was stepping down the stairs off the stage and slipped, twisted herself and landed fairly hard,” said Shaw. “She’s in a lot of pain and was taken out by ambulance.”
Paramedics carried the incumbent councillor from the Eagles Hall on a stretcher moments before the meeting was set to begin. The unfortunate turn of events prompted Shaw to cancel the meeting.
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“Our concern now is more for her than anything else,” he said, adding that other candidates would be too distracted by the accident to focus on the forum.
“We’re going to delay this event to another week in the near future, so that all the [candidates] will have the business of the city on their mind, rather than the business of Michele’s health.”
It’s too early to say when the event will ultimately take place, he said.
The goal of the forum, according to CNA vice chair John Twigg, is to gauge the views of candidates about development and revitalization in Campbellton.
It’s also meant as an opportunity for candidates and the public to hear from Vancouver Island University’s urban planning team, which has been working alongside the CNA to make recommendations about improving Campbellton.
Municipal elections take place on Oct. 20.
With files from Mike Davies
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