Voters casting a ballot in the upcoming byelection to choose the new city councillor for Ward 20 Scarborough Southwest will have a number of chances to learn more about the candidates at events planned for this month.
Scarborough United Neighbourhoods (SUN) is teaming up with local community groups to hold events in early November that will help provide information to Scarborough Southwest voters.
The byelection will be held on Thursday, Nov. 30. Advance polls are planned for Saturday, Nov. 25, and Sunday, Nov. 26.
A total of 23 candidates are registered to run in the byelection, which is being held to replace former Scarborough Southwest Councillor Gary Crawford who resigned his seat earlier this year.
So far, three events have been planned to allow voters to meet with the candidates in the byelection.
CANDIDATES MARKETPLACE ON NOV. 4
On Saturday, Nov. 4, from 9:30 a.m. to 11:45 a.m., a Candidates Marketplace is being planned for the Birchmount Community Centre, 93 Birchmount Rd.
The Marketplace will see invited candidates give a three-minute speech, then move to booths they have set up in the community centre’s gym to engage directly with voters in an informal manner and setting.
For more information on the Marketplace, please go to https://bit.ly/sswmarketplace or visit SUN’s Facebook page.
FORUM AT BIRCHMOUNT COMMUNITY CENTRE ON NOV. 9
On Thursday, Nov. 9, a candidates forum is slated. The forum will also take place at the Birchmount Community Centre, and will begin at 7 p.m.
Invited candidates will each give a short speech, followed by conversations and questions on themes identified by audience members when they register for the forum.
Advance questions will be collected through the registration forum, and those wishing to attend need to know that the number of available tickets is limited and pre-registration is required to attend in person. For information on registering for the Nov. 9 forum, please go to https://bit.ly/sswmeeting
This forum will also be live streamed for those who cannot attend in person, and information on how to watch is at the above website.
The forum is organized by the Scarborough Civic Action Network, the Birchmount Bluffs Neighbourhood Centre, the West Scarborough Neighbourhood Community Centre, and SUN.
FORUM AT OAKRIDGE COMMUNITY CENTRE ON NOV. 23
On Thursday, Nov. 23, a candidates forum will take place at the Oakridge Community Centre, 63 Pharmacy Ave., from 7 to 9 p.m.
This forum will see a moderator lead a debate of invited candidates. Each candidate will get a three-minute introduction speech, followed by questions from the moderator and residents.
Exact details, including registration requirements, are still being finalized by the organizers of the Nov. 23 forum. For updates, visit the SUN Facebook page.
Voters in Scarborough Southwest should also know that they should be receiving their Voter Information Cards (VIC) from the City of Toronto by Nov. 14. A VIC cannot be used as identification. It is not necessary to have one to vote if you are an eligible voter in the ward.
For more information on the Scarborough Southwest byelection, please go to https://www.toronto.ca/city-government/elections/2023-by-election-councillor-ward-20-scarborough-southwest/by-election-voters/by-election-myvote/
For a list of the candidates running in the Scarborough Southwest byelection, please see our earlier story at https://beachmetro.com/2023/10/16/total-of-23-candidates-registered-to-run-in-scarborough-southwest-councillor-byelection/
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