An all-candidates meeting featuring presentations by both City of Port Alberni mayoral candidates erupted with calls of bias against the moderator Thursday night, Oct. 6.
Tom Verbrugge and incumbent Sharie Minions had delivered their platforms when moderator Bill Collette, CEO of the host Alberni Valley Chamber of Commerce, started asking questions “on behalf of the chamber of commerce” of Verbrugge. One question named several First Nations and other government leaders and asked if Verbrugge had met with them. Another noted he wasn’t at the student-led all-candidates meeting at ADSS and wasn’t seen at the Orange Shirt Day walk on National Truth and Reconciliation Day (he said he was on the sidelines and wearing an orange shirt), and asked if he didn’t participate in community events during an election campaign, why people should consider voting for him.
At this point, someone in the audience of about 150 people stood up and accused Collette of asking biased questions. A chorus of voices joined in with their objections to the line of questioning.
”From a chamber of commerce perspective, we need to see that we have leadership that is active and working towards reconciliation and what-not,” Collette said. “The chamber is not on trial here. We need to see a mayor that is going to be active and looking after our community. It is a fair question.”
Collette took a number of questions that the public wrote down and submitted, which he then vetted. Some of the questions asked Verbrugge and Minions their opinion on reconciliation, the current opioid crisis in the Alberni Valley and their thoughts on SOGI (Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity), which is an educational resource used in the school system and not within the purview of a municipal council.
The mayoral presentation took place during the second of two all-candidates meetings featuring city council candidates. A meeting Oct. 4 featuring School District 70 trustee candidates and Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District electoral area candidates kicked off a series of three meetings hosted by the chamber of commerce at RimRock Casino.
Public reaction to the question and answer period was swift, with hundreds of comments debating the incident posted on social media.
The morning after the debate, council candidate Carol-Anne Zanette stated publicly that she has resigned from the chamber board of directors, where she has been a director for a number of years.
Collette posted an apology on the chamber website after all the videos from the Oct. 6 meeting were uploaded. “While serving as organizer and moderator of the all-candidates forum I did not conduct myself in an unbiased manner expected of the role,” he wrote. “My demeanour at times over the three evenings demonstrated a biased position evidenced by how I chose to introduce candidates, especially those I am familiar with,” he added.
“I apologize to the candidates and audience members who put their trust and faith in the chamber, and in me, to provide a level playing field…Further, my engagement with one of the mayoral candidates was unfair.” Collette said he reached out to Verbrugge, and although Verbrugge “did not accept the apology we did part with an understanding.”
The exchange between Collette and the public overshadowed the previous hour of the meeting, when the remaining nine candidates vying for council seats were given up to five minutes to share information about themselves and their platforms.
Most of the questions from the Oct. 6 session were directed toward the two mayoral candidates. Incumbent Cindy Solda, who is running for seats in both the city and regional district (Beaver Creek), was asked whether she would be faced with a conflict of interest making decisions on the ACRD board if she were elected to both governments. Solda explained there would be no conflict, that she would only represent Beaver Creek when sitting on the ACRD board. “I wouldn’t represent the city.”
Incumbent Ron Paulson, who previously said he is treasurer for the Alberni Low Energy Housing Society, was asked if he sees a way to use the low energy housing projects to reduce hydro costs for the whole Valley. Paulson said by 2035 all new construction will have to reach Step 4 or net zero of BC Housing’s BC Energy Step Code, which are province-wide building standards, and are intended to create energy-efficient structures. He said there is already federal money available for retrofitting old buildings and that might be an area where they can help.
Carol-Anne Zanette was asked how she planned to be a city councillor and run her business, Steampunk Café. Zanette also has a full-time job with Salvation Army and places importance on her family too. “I love being busy,” she said. “If you want something done, ask a busy person; it usually gets done.”
Joshua Dahling was asked how he plans to help youth, and he said he already does that in the course of his employment working with Indigenous youth across the country. He said the city needs to reinstate the RCMP school liaison officer at ADSS to help with gang activity and should look at youth-oriented enhancements such as a new skateboard park. He said he is concerned with drug use and accessibility and said treatment on demand is necessary.
The first session on Oct. 5 featured the first 12 council candidates giving their platforms. Transparency and accountability, waterfront development, housing and the opioid crisis were overarching themes, as they were for the second city council session.
Many of the candidates addressed waterfront redevelopment and the quay-to-quay pathway—both projects the present council has pushed as part of their strategic plan, and both controversial with the public.
John Douglas was asked why he thinks connection to waterfront is a top asset for the Alberni Valley. Douglas touted waterfront projects such as Canal Beach, Harbour Beach and Tyee Landing, for which he had a hand in, during his platform speech.
“The waterfront has been the driving stimulus,” Douglas answered. He said transitioning the Somass industrial lands into a multi-diverse zone incorporating light industry, residential and recreational tourism “is a fantastic way of increasing the livability of the area. Investment follows livability.”
Candidate Charles Mealey was asked outright if he supports the quay-to-quay project. “The quay-to-quay is a project I heard about when I was on council back in the early 2000s; it’s not a new thing,” he said. “Do I support it? Yes, I do. Do I support it in the way it’s looking right now? Well, I’d like to take a look at it.”
He said grant funding for the walkway will be available until 2026 thanks to an extension, and council has time to revisit the plan.
Each session was recorded and individual candidate videos have been posted at albernichamber.ca/news/election-2022.
Advanced voting takes place Oct. 12 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. in the Alberni Valley. General election day is Saturday, Oct. 15 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. To find out where to vote in the City of Port Alberni, go online to portalberni.ca/municipal-elections. For the ACRD, go online to acrd.bc.ca/2022election.