Saturday, September 28, 2019 ~ OTTER POINT
by Mary P Brooke ~ West Shore Voice News
SEE REPORT ON THE DEBATE HERE.
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Over the years, all candidates debates as organized by the Otter Point, Shirley and Jordan River Resident and Ratepayers Association (OPSRRA) are reliably well organized and formatted in a way that brings out the best of the experience for both candidates and audience of voters.
Over the years, OPSRRA has had good success in this regard with provincial and municipal/school board debates. This is their first crack at hosting a debate for federal candidates, says OPSRRA president Bill Dushenko.
They will host the candidates of Esquimalt-Saanich-Sooke at a formal meeting on Sunday September 29 in Otter Point (west of Sooke), at the JdF Services Building at 3-7450 Butler Road (just off Otter Point Road in the Sooke Business Park, beyond Sooke).
Three questions were prepared in advance by the OPSRRA membership and delivered to the candidates. The four major party candidates — for Liberal, Conservative, NDP and Green — will in total have 24 minutes to address those questions.
The three questions prepared in advance cover these key topics: the climate crisis and tools for addressing it; why federal infrastructure spending on high-speed Internet and clean water have been spent west of Sooke; and the protection of fish stocks and local orca populations.
To counterbalance the value to audience and respect the time of candidates with major parties, the candidates for the People’s Party of Canada (Canada’s newest national party) and the candidate for the Communist Party have been listed first on the introductions. They will each have two minutes to speak before the major party candidates deliver their two-minute introductions (which appear to be listed in order of the number of seats of each of those parties at the dissolution of parliament): Jamie Hammond (Liberal), Randall Pewarchuk (Conservative), Randall Garrison (NDP), and David Merner (Green).
Randall Garrison, NDP is the incumbent. He has held the Esquimalt-Saanich-Sooke seat for two terms (2011-2015, 2015-2018). David Merner ran against Garrison in 2015; last time Merner was a Liberal candidate and now represents the Greens. Jamie Hammond and Randall Pewarchuk are new to running for political office.
The audience will have 30 minutes to ask questions directly to the candidates, and 30 minutes is allowed for an informal meet-and-greet afterward.
The Otter Point, Shirley and Jordan River Resident and Ratepayers Association (OPSRRA) is a registered non-profit society established in 1992, which represents over 430 residents from those three small, unincorporated communities west of Sooke.
They say they work with our members to ensure that community development in Otter Point, Shirley and Jordan River evolves in a way that is in the best interest of their residents. Hosting discussions with local stakeholders and government officials helps ensure the voice of residents in “shaping a community that provides a safe and healthy region to live, grow and play”.