North Coast All Candidates Debates to span two nights next week, hosted by Chamber of Commerce

The 2020 Provincial Election campaign will ramp up some of the electioneering next week as the Prince Rupert and District Chamber of Commerce hosts two Candidates debates to be held on two consecutive nights.

The twin gatherings  set for Wednesday, October 7th and Thursday the 8th will explore  a range of themes and provide the first head to head opportunity to hear from the candidates. 

The Wednesday debate will be broadcast on CityWest Cable Channel 10/310HD, as well as streamed through the Chamber Facebook page and website.

The Thursday debate will be streamed to the communities up and down the North Coast and to Haida Gwaii.

Wednesday's Debate will focus on the issues of particular note to Prince Rupert/Port Edward and the immediate area, while the Thursday debate will explore topics of concern and interest to those living on Haida Gwaii, Bella Bella (Heiltsuk First Nation), Hartley Bay (Gitga’at First Nation)and other rural communities. 

Representatives from regional media will be providing for the hosting duties, with the forum on October 7th to be moderated by Matthew Allen, Associate Producer for CBC Radio’s Daybreak North. 

The October 8th event will be moderated by Mary Denton, Account Executive for the CFNR Radio Network. 

Questions for the candidates will be formulated by the Chamber of Commerce to illuminate candidate perspectives on topical themes in the riding. 

Members of the public are also encouraged to submit questions in advance of the Forums. 

Those can be submitted and upvoted at www.candidatequestions.ca, with the most popular questions being raised during the Forums. 

In case time does not permit all questions to be considered, a list will be generated for the candidates, to allow them to address the themes through their own communication options.

The Chamber as it has often in the past, has taken the lead to help provide for the forum for the discussion and while this years version is just a bit different from the live events of the past, the virtual process will give voters on the North Coast a good measuring stick for the campaign and the vote on the 24th of October.

"The Chamber provides support and advocates for businesses located throughout our coastal economy. We’re all connected, but our priorities may differ depending on where we live and do business. As we prepare to choose our representative in the BC Legislature, we believe it’s important to respect the diversity of our region by giving a voice to every type of community. "-- Michelle Boomars-MacNeill, President of the Prince Rupert and District Chamber of Commerce.

With one day to go until the deadline for nominations, the list of candidates for the North Coast remains at two to date; with incumbent NDP MLA Jennifer Rice taking on the challenge from the BC Liberals candidate Roy Jones Junior.

Though to this point, only Ms. Rice's name has been officially registered with the Elections BC website

Learn more about the two nights of debate here.

Updates on the Debates can be found from the Prince Rupert and District Chamber of Commerce Facebook Page.

For more notes on the 2020 North Coast campaign see our archive page here.