Manitouwadge Hosts Final Debate for Algoma-Manitoulin-Kapuskasing Candidates
With less than two weeks left on the campaign trail, Federal Candidates for Algoma-Manitoulin-Kapuskasing have done an impressive job at circulating the riding; connecting with people, listening to the issues and of course, participating in Candidate Debates. With five debates being held throughout the riding including Elliot Lake, Espanola, Manitoulin Island, Sowerby and Kapuskasing, no debates had been scheduled for the northwest portion of the riding. Until now.
Late last week, concerned citizen Natalie Labbee spearheaded an invitation to each of the Federal Candidates and their Campaign Managers in an attempt to re-organize their schedules to accommodate a Debate for the Northwest.
“Initially, the idea was to have the debate scheduled for Wawa, or White River, as those communities are more central to this part of the riding. I really wanted to organize this debate to be held in the most convenient location for all Candidates, especially this late in the Campaign”, says Labbee, who is also a Town Councillor in Manitouwadge.
“I spent a good part of the weekend on the phone and sending emails trying to work with everyone involved, find a suitable location, and getting others in outlying communities on board to make this happen. Our part of the riding has been hardest hit over the last few years due to mills shutting down, the high cost of hydro and gasoline to name a few. With our communities being located along the northwest boundary of the riding, it’s easy to feel like we are not being seen as valuable or significant as other areas. Voter apathy in this part of the riding is very high as a result, and I hope that holding this debate in Manitouwadge will help alleviate some of that by giving people a chance to make an informed decision, first hand”, she adds.
Working alongside Labbee is Al Cresswell; News & Sports Director and Morning Show Host of CFNO 93.1 FM Radio located in Marathon, Ontario. Together, Labbee and Cresswell are planning a solid, fair and moderated format for Candidates and constituents to participate in.
The debate is being sponsored by www.OntarioNewsNorth.com, a regional online newspaper based out of Manitouwadge. Editor, Karina Hunter is excited about the opportunity to help sponsor the event which will be broadcast Streaming Live online.
“This is an incredible opportunity for Manitouwadge to be hosting this very important debate. It’s important to have representation in this part of the riding and www.OntarioNewsNorth.com is pleased to be part of making this debate a success and fully interactive as it happens”, Hunter explains.
Plans are also underway to take questions online from constituents throughout the riding for a full interactive debate on the issues facing Algoma-Manitoulin-Kapuskasing.
The Candidates Night in Manitouwadge will be held at the Manitouwadge Highschool Auditorium beginning at 6:30 pm on Thursday, April 28th. Everyone is welcome.
