Daily Herald Contributor
Prince Albert residents will have a chance to hear from provincial election candidates on Oct. 9, mayoral candidates on Oct. 30, and ward candidates on Nov. 1, the Chamber of Commerce announced on Thursday.
Prince Albert & District Chamber of Commerce CEO Patty Hughes said the events are vital for the community.
“The chamber has always taken a role within the community to host these forums, not only for the members of our business Community, but for all of our community and so we organize these for our Provincial, Municipal and Federal elections,” Hughes said in a press release.
“It is vital that voters have as many opportunities as possible to learn about the candidates running in the elections prior to making their choices. “We are excited to hold these forums,” she added.
Hughes said the Chamber will livestream the forums on social media platforms as well as in person at the Carlton Comprehensive High School Cafetorium.
There will be three segments to the forums, the first where candidates can introduce themselves and their platform. The moderator is then expected to ask each candidate to respond to a set of prepared questions.
Questions will also be entertained from the floor in a written format, with some moderators looking at the questions and submitting them to the chair to ask the candidates. People can also submit those questions prior to the slated dates to chamber of commerce info@princealbertchamber.com.
“The Chamber will be hosting a hybrid model of in person and virtual attendance. I expect that this hybrid format may allow even more people to become more interested and involved in the democratic process,” said Hughes.
Individual questions submitted via social media during the livestream will also be made available to the candidates who may want to reply as they wish following the forum.
Each candidate will be expected to deliver a closing remarks to wrap up the event.
All declared candidates are invited to participate. In the event of a full acclamation, that forum would be cancelled.
The 2024 provincial election must be held on or before Oct. 28. Prince Albert’s municipal election is scheduled for Nov. 13.
Candidates interested in running for mayor, city council, or school board must have their nomination papers in by Oct. 9 at 4 p.m. Nominations open on Sept. 23.
