With the provincial election campaign officially getting underway today until general voting day May 14 it’s anticipated politics will be a main topic of conversation.
The Cariboo is represented by both the Cariboo-Chilcotin and Cariboo North ridings, which means area residents will hear from several candidates.
In Cariboo Chilcotin we have four candidates: Green Party Dustin Price of 100 Mile House, Independent Gary Young of Lac La Hache, Liberal Donna Barnett of 100 Mile House and NDP Charlie Wyse of Williams Lake. In Cariboo North we have Independent Bob Simpson of Quesnel, Liberal Coralee Oakes also of Quesnel and NDP Duncan Barnett of 150 Mile House. The Green Party said it isn’t running a candidate in Cariboo North because the party endorses Bob Simpson.
There are around 48,300 eligible voters in the two ridings so it’s hoped that voters will exercise their democratic right on May 14, or at many of the advance polling opportunities.
The Tribune encourages voters to become informed about the candidates.
Two all-candidate events in Williams Lake have been confirmed so far. On April 27, the Northern Real Estate Board and Council of Canadians Williams Lake Chapter will host an all-candidates forum at Williams Lake Secondary School. Ross McCoubrey will be the moderator, and candidates will be asked questions that have been submitted and screened before the forum.
The Chamber of Commerce will host an Assembly of Candidates event on May 1 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Tourism Discovery Centre for voters to talk with candidates one on one.
Community engagement and dialogue is always welcome and now that the writ has been dropped, the Tribune would like to remind readers of our election letter policy. As always, letters to the editor and comments through your Facebook account on www.wltribune.com, are open and we encourage our readers to debate the issues in our pages.
It is part of the democratic process. We remind all, however, that letters are for opinions and discussions, not blatant advertising of your candidate of choice or mean-spirited hammering of those you don’t like.
- Monica Lamb-Yorski/Williams Lake Tribune