The fix is in for the Kitchener Centre bi-election.
There are 18 registered candidates, but only the Liberal, NDP and Green will be presenting to the audience tonight.
Imagine my disappointment.
I just got off the phone with Kae Elgie. I had hoped to speak at tonight’s KC Housing event but the organizers chose to restrict the event to only three of the 18 political candidates who are registered for the November 30 Kitchener Centre bi-election.
It has become common for “meet the candidates” events organizers to restrict participation to only candidates of the major parties that they favour. The KC Housing organizers apparently believe that all of the other 15 registered candidates had nothing of worth to contribute to the Housing Crisis discussion.
Only the three major, taxpayer-subsidized ‘political left’ parties were allowed to speak at this event. If the organizers don’t want a truly democratic election in which all ideas are presented for public consideration, then they should just be up front about it.
THE BIGGEST SPENDER SHOW with the tagline “See which socialist party will promise to spend the most with your tax dollars in order to buy your votes”. This would have been a more accurate name for the KC Housing event in their Media Release.
When Kae Elgie gave me the bad news, she lamely suggested that I could “watch the event online and present questions to be presented to the candidates”. Some consolation prize, right?. My message to Kitchener Centre voters, if I have been allowed to present to the audience, would have been a variation of this two minute video.
Below is the Media Release to which I had responded. With only Liberal, NDP and Green candidates speaking, the audience will surely be treated with more promises of tax increases and stricter regulations peppered with concerns about climate change and social justice for some communities. Anyone who has been paying attention will understand that these kinds of policies will only aggravate the housing problems, not alleviate them.
Media Release
Great Interest in Kitchener Centre by-election Housing Forum
Organizers of the Kitchener Centre by-election Housing Forum are thrilled with the enthusiastic response to their Thursday November 23 meeting at 23 Water Street North, Kitchener, 6:30- 9 pm.
"Some 16 groups stepped forward to sponsor it, ranging from housing developers, organizations supporting people experiencing homelessness, advocates for green development standards, to Waterloo Region YIMBY (Yes In My Backyard) and Architectural Conservancy Ontario (ACO) North Waterloo Region Branch," said Acer Bonaparte, president of the Waterloo Region ACORN chapter and one of the event organizers. "Lots of people in Kitchener Centre care about housing!"
Those unable to attend in person can register to attend virtually at
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_mHXPeRmPSoGkiibELKu-XQ
In person visitors can browse sponsoring groups' and candidates' information tables between 6:30 and 7 pm. Moderator Dawn Parker will start by posing pre-submitted questions to the three candidates who have confirmed their attendance, Green Party candidate Aislinn Clancy, Liberal Party candidate Kelly Steiss, and New Democratic Party candidate Debbie Chapman. After that, questions collected from participants will be posed to the candidates. The forum will end at 8:30 pm.
For more information contact Acer Bonaparte at mikhacodi@gmail.com or (226) 774-2207
Event sponsors: ACORN, Architectural Conservancy Ontario- North Waterloo Region Branch, Basic Income Waterloo Region, Beyond Housing, Cherry Park Neighbourhood Association, Council of Canadians KW Chapter, Grand River Unitarian Congregation, GreenWR, Groundup, Momentum Developments, Mount Hope Breithaupt Park Neighbourhood Association, Olde Berlin Town Neighbourhood Association, Social Development Centre, Victoria Park Neighbourhood Association, Waterloo Region Yes In My Backyard
sent by
Kae Elgie
kaeelgie@yahoo.com
Don't feel bad, not even the Conservative candidate made the cut for this debate.
I saw an article on the NDP candidate in our local paper yesterday, and was wondering if the paper had interviewed other candidates, given that the by-election is next week. It was only after researching this that I learned that there are a total of 18 candidates in this race. It appears to me that many of the candidates seem to be running as independents or for "fringe" parties that advocate for more accountability. None of these candidates will win, but at least they, along with you, are perhaps addressing issues that will come to the forefront, hopefully before our current system implodes.
I tried to warn the Party that running anyone other than a local member would be a waste of time and money. It was good of you to try, and hopefully the Record will provide us with some coverage.
Imagine if all 18 candidates showed up and were allowed 5 minutes for an opening speech? That would take 2 hours? Most people would leave right after their candidate spoke, if not before.