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B.C. VOTES 2020: Enderby all-candidates forum takes video format

Residents can submit questions for the Shuswap’s three candidates by Oct. 16
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Ahead of the provincial election Oct. 24, Enderby residents can put their questions to the Shuswap riding’s three candidates: Greg Kyllo for the BC Liberal Party, Sylvia Lindgren for the BC NDP and Owen Madden for the BC Green Party. Questions can be submitted to the Enderby chamber by Friday, Oct. 16, 2020 at 4 p.m. (Salmon Arm Observer image)

While there won’t be an in-person all-candidates forum in Enderby ahead of the provincial election on Oct. 24, the local chamber is making sure local questions will be answered.

Until Friday, Oct. 16, the Enderby and District Chamber of Commerce is fielding questions from residents for a video-based all-candidates forum. Over the coming weekend, the chamber will send the most popular questions to the Shuswap’s three candidates: incumbent BC Liberal Greg Kyllo, BC NDP Sylvia Lindgren and the BC Green Party’s Owen Madden.

The candidates have agreed to film their answers early next week, to be shared on the chamber’s website.

“Through my interactions with the Enderby community, I’ve realized that Enderby is not one of the Shuswap-Okanagan communities that would necessarily take part in a lot of early balloting by mail, and that they are looking forward to voting at our local seniors centre as normal,” said Clyde MacGregor, general manager of the Enderby and District Chamber, referring to the timing of the forum which will see the answers aired just a few days before the election.

MacGregor said he wanted to give residents time to hear the types of questions asked at earlier forums in Vernon and Salmon Arm before making their own questions based on what they haven’t heard answered.

MacGregor says he’s noticed less online engagement in Enderby than in other communities, particularly among seniors who may lack Internet access or know-how.

To ensure the city’s seniors have a chance to view the candidates’ answers, the chamber has arranged to have the videos aired at the local seniors centre during its weekly Wednesday lunch (Oct. 24), as well as at other seniors groups including Parkview Place.

“In addition to that, for other residents who might not get a chance to see it online, we’ll be having viewings available in the lead-up to the election,” MacGregor said.

“It was very important to me that if it wasn’t safe to hold an in-person forum because of the pandemic, that people could still participate in the democratic process.”

The deadline to submit questions to the chamber is Friday, Oct. 16 at 4 p.m. Email info@enderbychamber.com with ‘forum’ as the subject line, or visit IGA, Ashton Creek Store, Enderby Jewellers, Animal InsTincT Yoga Studio, Seniors’ Center to pick up a paper question form.

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Brendan Shykora
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Brendan Shykora

About the Author: Brendan Shykora

I started as a carrier at the age of 8. In 2019 graduated from the Master of Journalism program at Carleton University.
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