After considerable deliberation, the Tribune has decided to print letters about the municipal election. We encourage free thought and ideas and feel that such letters could be beneficial to our readers and to voters, as they could provide different perspectives, help engage people in the election process, add context, and facilitate discussion about the election.
However, that does not mean that the letters page will become a forum to campaign.
In order for your letter to be considered, there are a few ground rules that will need to be followed.
Letters should not be a blatant endorsement. They should have substance, be productive, and address specific issues. Rather than say you support candidate A and we should vote for him/her, say candidate A has forward-thinking policies on a specific issue.
Back up your beliefs and be specific. Statistical and historical information is OK, but be sure to send us the source of your information for easy verification.
Rumours will not be printed. We will not accept “form letters” — copies of the same letter sent from multiple people. We ask organizations representing a number of individuals to be cognizant about writing letters on the upcoming election, as all members may not hold the same view.
As always, we won’t publish comments that defame a candidate or anyone else. Please keep it clean.
We will do our best to be fair, but if we become inundated with election letters, be advised yours may not run. Preference will be given to letters that express new perspectives rather than to those that reiterate the same message that has been said again and again (especially from the same letter writer). During the week prior to election day, no letters about the candidates will be printed. And as with all letters, they must be about 300 words or less, signed, and include a phone number so we can contact you to verify the letter. No anonymous letters will be printed.