All Candidates Forum Nov. 4 - Nanaimo

Chamber of Commerce 

Announces All Candidates Forum

The Greater Nanaimo Chamber of Commerce released its plans for the 2014 Nanaimo All Candidates Forum on November 4 at the Vancouver Island Conference Centre starting at 5 pm in preparation for the November 15th civic election.

“We believe we have a unique approach to getting information from candidates to voters, recognizing that educated voters are the key to a successful government”, said Kim Smythe, Chamber President & Chief Executive Officer. “Because we have a high volume of candidates, we’ve coined the term ‘speed campaigning’ to get as many people through all the candidates they wish to speak with.”

The Mount Benson Ballroom at the VICC will be divided into three sections, one for each of the candidate groups – School District, Council and Mayoral. Tables will be provided for each candidate to provide a focal point for discussions. School District and Council candidates will not speak from a podium. Instead, candidates will be able to present from their table and manage their own audiences engaging with them one on one.

“We will ring a bell every 5-7 minutes to encourage people to move to another candidate’s table. We expect that most people will come with a list of those candidates they’d like to speak to in person, rather than try to research all 59 candidates in one night,” noted Smythe.

School District and Council Candidate rooms will open at 5 pm. The Mayoral candidates’ room opens at 6:30 for one on one discussions. At 7:30 pm, each Mayoral candidate will be invited to speak and take questions for up to six minutes. At 8:00 pm, the format will switch to moderated, pre-screened questions for Mayoral candidates. The event ends at 9:00 pm.

Young Professionals of Nanaimo are partners and will help voters on-site. Hilary Eastmure of Coast 91.7 FM will moderate the Mayoral sessions. Shaw TV will tape these sessions for future broadcast.
Candidates are urged to visit the Chamber website to register for this event. A $25 plus GST table fee is required for cost recovery for every candidate wishing to participate or attend.