The community of Capreol will be hotbed for political discourse in the coming weeks, with two municipal election debates being organized by a trio of community organizations.
On Sept. 26, a Ward 7 council candidates debate is taking place, which will be followed by an Oct. 5 mayoral candidates debate. Both events begin at 7 p.m. at the Capreol Arena.
The events are being hosted by the Capreol Community Action Network (CAN), the Capreol Lions Club and the Capreol Royal Canadian Legion Branch 179.
CAN chair Randy Crisp told Sudbury.com the intention is to provide each candidate with 15 minutes of speaking time followed by questions, which he anticipates will run the gamut but focus especially on the community of Capreol.
They’ll be given ample time to “expound on what their platform is and what they’ll do for the city and ward,” he said.
The organizers are setting up 150 chairs for each event, Crisp said, adding he’d be happy if at least 75 people showed up to see what the candidates have to say.
“Have a little coffee and a Timbit, and go from there.”
Possible topics include day-to-day things like garbage collection to wider-reaching ideas such as city council’s dedication to its outlying communities.
“Are you going to give credence to the fact that the folks in the outlying communities need and deserve more services, be it a pool, a splash pad, an arena, whatever?” Crisp asked of candidates, adding a proposed seniors residence might also come up for discussion.
These events are both open to the public, and Crisp said residents of area communities might also be interested in what the candidates have to say, be they Ward 7 or mayoral.
“What’s good for Capreol sometimes is also good for Garson and Skead and Falconbridge,” he said, adding there are various shared concerns among residents of various communities.
Ward 7 is a unique race in the Oct. 24 civic election, in that it’s the only municipal ward that doesn’t have an incumbent seeking re-election.
In December, Mike Jakubo announced he would not be seeking re-election, citing an incohesive city council and family priorities as fueling his decision. During his final meeting as chair of the city’s finance and administration committee meeting last month, his colleagues around council chambers sang his praises in a farewell address.
The four candidates seeking election in Ward 7 include Randy Hazlett, Natalie Labbée, Mark McKillop and Daniel Wiebes.
All nine mayoral candidates have been invited to take part in the Oct. 5 mayoral debate, which joins at least three other public mayoral candidate debates/forums scheduled to take place.
These other mayoral candidate events include, in order:
- An Oct. 1 “Meet the Mayoral Candidates” event at the ParkSide Older Adult Centre (140 Durham Street) beginning at 1:30 p.m. This event is being hosted by the Canadian Association for Retired Persons Sudbury Chapter and the Sudbury Arts Council. All mayoral candidates have been invited to participate.
- On Oct. 3, Coalition for a Livable Sudbury is hosting a mayoral town hall at Sudbury Indie Cinema (162 MacKenzie St.) from 7-9 p.m. The event will focus on “environmental and social issues.”
- On Oct. 6, the Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce is hosting a “Mayoral Candidates’ Fireside Chat” at the Collège Boréal concert hall from 7-9 p.m. Five mayoral candidates selected by members will participate, including Brian Bigger, Evelyn Dutrisac, Paul Lefebvre, Miranda Rocca-Circelli and Mila Wong.
Tyler Clarke covers city hall and political affairs for Sudbury.com.
