Up for something different tonight? Get Your Vote On invites you to speed-date your Vancouver City Council, Parks Board, and School Board candidates at the Biltmore Cabaret! Just how will this work, you might ask? Candidates will be circulating booth-to-booth to engage with different folks and to field the questions that individual voters want answered. Every five minutes, the issue of discussion changes and the candidate switches over to the next booth. This informal but volunteer-facilitated session is designed to provide attendees and candidates alike the chance to connect face-to-face, pint-to-pint, over the issues that matter to them.
After the speed-dating portion of the night, seven candidates will take part in a debate moderated by Mo Dhaliwal who has found the current municipal elections “a hotbed of issues” so far.
As an astute cultural navigator, Mo knows very well the importance of inclusion and diversity in politics especially as it relates to the building of community (and of a community’s culture). “Creating an environment where the people that live in Vancouver have a say in the liveability and sustainability of the region is the most important issue for me,” admits Mo—in order to manifest this, people at all levels of income, age, and ethno-cultural background need to be included in the conversation.
He feels that the increase in diversity in the various election slates is a good thing regardless of whether this is an appeal to an “ethnic” vote (a hot topic in the last federal election you might recall), as City Council needs to be reflective of the city. Interestingly, though, Mo feels that the profusion of press around current mayor, Gregor Robertson, and mayoral hopeful, Suzanne Anton, has imbued this election with a sort of “presidential” quality as they “seem to be almost eclipsing their council and parties.”
On the invariably popular issue of voter turn-out (a mere 31% in the last City of Vancouver election), Mo feels the sense of comfort that stems from living in a liveable society lends itself, in part, to civic disengagement. And as for those invested in civic politics, he’s observed a fair amount of apathy: “As we can see around the world, people are disengaged due to compromised media and sterile political messages. People want to see authenticity and ingenuity…even if it is a little raw and unpolished. That's what connects with people.”
Which begs the question: Have any of the candidates spoken to your ideas about the Vancouver you want to live in? Get Your Vote On’s event aims to engage everyone in that dialogue while allowing ourselves just a bit of fun while doing so.
EVENT DETAILS
All candidates have been invited, but those participating in the debate and/or speed-dating portion include Nicole Benson of Neighbourhoods for a Sustainable Vancouver; Andrea Reimer, Tony Tang, Heather Deal, and Trevor Loke of Vision Vancouver; RJ Aquino, Donalda Greenwell-Baker, and Gwen Giesbrecht of COPE; Mike Klassen, Sophia Woo, and Melissa De Genova of the NPA; Chris Shaw of De-Growth Vancouver; and Rick Orser and Sandy Garossino, both Independent candidates.
While Get Your Vote On will be engaging your minds at this event, we have also made arrangements to have your heart and soul appeased with the wonderful music stylings of the talented Barbara Adler (of FANG! and the BC Memory Game).
Be prepared for some pints and politics 7pm TONIGHT at the Biltmore Cabaret!
You can register for your FREE ticket on the event’s Eventbrite page and tweet using the hash tag, #VanCab
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For more information on all Get Your Vote On happenings, check out getyourvoteon.ca. For information on voting in the municipal election, check out the City of Vancouver’s Vancouver votes page.
