All-candidates meetings are going virtual in Langley as candidates will field questions via Zoom in several upcoming town hall-style events.
Three events are scheduled so far, including two meetings sponsored by the Greater Langley Chamber of Commerce, and a meeting on environmental topics organized by local environmentalists and university students.
The first meeting will be the evening of Oct. 14 and is the creation of Climate Crisis Langley Action Partners (CCLAP) and the Trinity Western Environmental Club (TWEC).
The 7-8:30 p.m. meeting over the Zoom video chat service will host the candidates from the Langley and Langley East ridings, with a focus on the climate crisis.
Candidates will answer questions posed by a panel of young people, and there will be an opportunity for the public to ask moderated questions near the end of the event.
Although CCLAP was only founded last year, this is already the second debate the group has organized with the TWEC, following last year’s federal election all-candidates meeting.
That meeting was very successful and drew a sizable crowd, but this all-candidates get together will be hosted online.
Anyone who wishes to attend virtually can email climatecrisislangley@gmail.com.
“We really don’t know in this situation,” said Kirk Robertson of CCLAP.
He said there is a broad field of possible questions for the candidates given the scope of climate-related issues.
There will also be a wide variety of questions lobbed at the two meetings to be hosted by the Greater Langley Chamber of Commerce and the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board (FVREB).
The first meeting, for the Langley East candidates, will run from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 15. The second, for the Langley riding candidates, will be on Tuesday, Oct. 20 at the same time.
Former Langley Times editor Frank Bucholtz, now a chamber director, will moderate both meetings.
“Our number one thing is to get people out to vote and reminding them to be an informed voter,” said Colleen Clark, CEO of the chamber of commerce.
If someone wants to see how the candidates handled the questions, they won’t have to sit down just for the debate. The videos of the all-candidates meetings will be presented on YouTube, as well as livestreamed through Facebook, giving several options, said Clark.
To register for the Zoom link, visit the chamber’s website at www.langleychamber.com.
Bucholtz will ask a number of pre-submitted questions and a few from the local business and realtor communities.