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MERRITT HERALD FREE
TUESDAY, APRIL 30, 2013 • MERRITT NEWSPAPERS
Fraser Nicola MLA incumbent and NDP candidate Harry Lali (third from left) answers a question from the crowd at the all-candidates forum on April 23 at Merritt’s Culture Club as (from left) Michael Beauclair, Conservative; John Kidder, Green Party; and Jackie Tegart, Liberal, look on. The event was hosted by the Merritt and District Chamber of Commerce. Craig Lindsay/Herald
Candidates spar at chamber of commerce forum By Craig Lindsay THE HERALD
newsroom@merrittherald.com
The Merritt and District Chamber of Commerce hosted an all-candidates forum on April 24 at the Culture Club for the Fraser Nicola MLA candidates. About 50 people attended and heard from candidates Michael Beauclair, Conservative; John Kidder, Green Party; incumbent Harry Lali, NDP; and Jackie Tegart, Liberal, make opening and closing statements and answer a variety of questions from the audience. Topics ranged from the whether candidates supported the proposed pipeline projects to what improvements can be done for rural health care to what can be done about semi-trailer trucks on Highway 5A. Etelka Gillespie, chamber of commerce office manager, said the
there and it worked out great,” event went well and was a great she said. “A lot of people who opportunity for constituents to were there had never been to the hear from the candidates. Culture Club before and were “It was tough to nail down impressed that Merritt has a place a date because of trying to get like that.” all the candidates together,” she Beauclair, the Conservative said. “The date we did go with candidate, enjoyed the process and worked because we knew all the was glad to take part. candidates were in “I think it went town for the radio pretty well,” he said. forum. A couple “There were some of the candidates, pretty tough quesespecially the ones tions but I did my best travelling from to answer them. If I Ashcroft, thought it was a good idea ELECTION 2013 didn’t know enough, I cut it short. People to stay in town to have concerns in continue campaigning in Merritt and finish off with a Fraser-Nicola about health care, education, the environment, packforum that evening.” aging — that was one that came Gillespie said they received out of the blue.” lots of great questions from the Beuclair said the BC audience. She also noted that the Conservatives have come out in Culture Club turned out to be an favour of both proposed pipeline excellent venue. projects: Kinder Morgan and “It was our first time doing it
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‘Don’t spray here. I don’t want spray in my yard.’ I would hear them turn at the church and come up the back alley. I stopped them again and said, ‘We don’t want that here. Even then I was an ecological activist I guess.” Rogers agrees with Green candidate Kidder, who advocates removing packaging at the store and leaving it behind. Overall, she was impressed with the candidates, although she’s sticking with the Greens. “I thought the forum was really good,” she said. “They all spoke up well and were all really well prepared. I thought it clarified a lot of what they thought about things.” Kidder was also impressed with the forum and enjoyed butting heads with the other candidates.
Enbridge. “We know people are concerned about the environment and the economy,” he said. “We are pro-pipeline. We think the advantages of the pipeline outweigh the environmental risks. That means that industry will have to pay the piper if something does happen. They’ll be held accountable.” The question about packaging came from long-time Merritt resident Andrea Rogers, who is concerned about excess packaging in store items. She told the Herald that she has long been an advocate of the environment and is a strong supporter of the Green Party. “Back in 1956, they would do mosquito fogging and the trucks would come down the street in front and then go around and do the back street,” she recalled. “I would run out to the front street and stop the truck and tell them,
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