Ahead of the Sept. 19 provincial byelection in the Bay of Quinte, area chambers of commerce will be hosting a virtual debate and business forum.
Here’s what you need to know:
In a recent release from the Quinte West Chamber of Commerce, it states the Belleville, Prince Edward County and Quinte chambers are consolidating their usual independent candidate debates into a single event for the public ahead of the upcoming election.
On Tuesday, Sept. 10, a livestream of a virtually held debate will be available starting at 7 p.m.
“The format is expected to reflect the standard round of timed introductions, cycle of questions/rebuttals and final remarks,” reads the release.
In an effort to make this as available as possible to the Bay of Quinte region, the chambers said the event will be accessible to anyone with a computer or phone connected to the internet and accessible via a livestream on the Belleville Chamber of Commerce YouTube page.
Residents eligible to vote in the riding can submit questions ahead of time online. However, organizers have noted that not all questions may be quoted directly and/or may be combined to reflect issues generally presented by the community.
Meanwhile, a provincial candidate business forum is set for the following day – Wednesday, Sept. 11, from 4 to 5:30 p.m.
However, this event is for the benefit of the business community, with provincial candidates representing parties with at least one seat in the provincial legislature invited to participate, reads the chamber’s release. In other words, this is a Quinte West Chamber of Commerce event only, and for its members.
This means the Conservative’s Tyler Allsopp, Green candidate Lori Borthwick, the Liberal’s Sean Kelly, and Amanda Robertson for the NDP will be involved in the forum.
All candidates will have an opportunity to introduce themselves, followed by questions submitted in advance, according to the chamber.
Chamber members can submit questions online in advance, and login using their email to register.
Registration details are available online and Zoom links will be shared to all those registered.
The debate will also be recorded and shared with members on Friday, noted the chamber.
(Written by: Sarah Hyatt)
