Herald forum on tap tonight
For the first time, the riding's largest all-candidates forum will be an exclusive online event.
The Penticton Herald's all-candidates forum is being held tonight at a spacious venue, but with no audience members present.
Organizer James Miller, who will also moderate, said this year's No. 1 priority is the safety of all participants.
Each of the four candidates will have their own lectern and microphone that will be safely distanced from one another. The media panel has been reduced from five to two members and will communicate with one another through electronic devices. Candidates will not shake hands with one another before or after the event.
A Zoom conference was considered, but organizers believe much is lost when the participants are not in the same room together.
The forum can be live streamed from 7-9 p.m. on The Herald's Facebook page (Penticton Herald: The South Okanagan's Daily Newspaper) or Castanet's YouTube page. (Coverage from inside the venue will begin at about 6:45 p.m.)
All four candidates in the Penticton riding — Dan Ashton (BC Liberal), Toni Boot (NDP), Keith MacIntyre (Libertarian) and Ted Schumaker (Green) — have agreed to participate.
Questions will alternate between Herald reporter Joe
Fries and Castanet news director Chelsea Powrie. Candidates will not be provided with the questions or topics in advance.
It could become lively at the start of the second half when each candidate is allowed to pose their own question to any of the other candidates.
Additionally, the format allows for the media panel to ask followup questions of each candidate.
The provincial leaders' debate is also on tonight, beginning at 6:30 p.m. on Global.
Miller suggests PVRing the leaders or watching The Herald's forum at a later date. It will be available on both Facebook and YouTube up until election day.
Groove-V Productions has been hired for tonight's event.
Additional sponsorship has come from the South Okanagan Real Estate Board and Penticton Lakeside Resort.
To read the ground rules in advance, visit: pentictonherald.ca