A message from the Executive Director of the South Niagara Chambers
July 27th has come and gone, and all of the candidates for the upcoming municipal election have registered. The campaigning now begins with October 22nd on the horizon. Throughout the coming months your local Chambers of Commerce will be organizing debates and meet and greet events to provide you with the opportunity to really understand the issues and get to know your candidates. We will be working with partners to coordinate debates in those communities that will have a mayoral race. In addition, we will also be organizing meet and greet events so that you can interact with all of the candidates (including school boards) and specifically speak to the ones that you are most interested in. In this age of social media, it’s far too easy to accept false information or rumours as truth. We want to inspire our members and establish a wider conversation based on facts. Our responsibility is to ensure that the voter has all of the information they need to feel confident in their choice on election day. We want to contribute to improving our municipalities’ ability to address challenges and recognize opportunities. This only happens with the right people at the table, and we look forward to bringing those people together for you to connect with. While we fully understand our responsibilities and are working diligently to fulfill those obligations, you also have responsibilities. In fact, I believe you have 4 duties.
First off, ensure you are on the voters list. You can visit www.voterlookup.ca or call 1-866-206-6722 to confirm you are. If you are not on the list, get on the list. Before September 1st you register at the above website or phone number listed. Following September 1st you must apply to your local municipal clerk. A great resource is the 2018 Voters Guide for Ontario municipal council and school board elections, found on the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing.
Secondly, attend the Meet and Greet events that are happening across Niagara. This is a fabulous way to meet the candidates. You arrive, speak to the candidates that you want to meet and then you are on your way. The investment of time can be minimal.
Thirdly, participate in the debates. Submit questions, show up or tune in. Regardless of whether the debates are conducted in a studio or an open venue- watch them! You will learn a great deal, and there will be lots of questions that you may not have thought about.
Finally, VOTE! Our elected officials will be in office for 4 years shaping our communities, but you have the ability to help shape our future at election time.
Check our websites regularly for Meet and Greet dates and venues. Hope to see you there!