With the 2024 provincial election just around the corner, the Ridge Meadows Chamber of Commerce is preparing to play host to the candidates vying for MLA spots in both Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows in a series of public meetings.

Chamber CEO Kristi Maier explained that the reason for these public debates is to bring the candidates and the public together and help people better understand the people who are running in this year's election.

"It's important for people to have an opportunity to hear what these candidates have to say and to know who they're voting for," said Maier.

During the meetings, candidates will be presented with a series of questions, which were gathered through public input.

"All of the questions come from people who work, live, and play in the community they're running in," said Maier.

The first of these all-candidates debates will be on Monday, Sept. 23, at Meadowridge School from 5 to 7 p.m.

Although an invitation was extended to both current Maple Ridge-Mission MLA Bob D'Eith and Conservative candidate Lawrence Mok, only D'Eith will be attending.
 

"There is more at stake in this campaign than ever before," said Mok. "I believe my time is best spent speaking with voters one-on-one at the doors and listening to their concerns. This is my priority until October 19th."

D'Eith expressed his excitement for the Sept. 23 event, saying that these all-candidates meetings play an important role in the election cycle.

"I think it's important to have these all-candidates meetings and give folks a chance to ask the tough questions because when you're asking to be a member of the legislative assembly, you're going to be representing people and they need to know that you've thought about all the issues," said D'Eith.

Maier said that the debate will still proceed even with Mok declining to attend.

There will be another all-candidates debate two days later, this time for the Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows candidates.

This event takes place at Pitt Meadows Plumbing on Wednesday, Sept. 25, from 5 to 7 p.m.

Attending will be incumbent MLA Lisa Beare and Conservative candidate Mike Morden.

Despite the trend of Conservative candidates declining to participate in all-candidates meetings during the run-up to this provincial election, Morden said that it's important for him to be there in order for him to meet the expectations he created during his time as Maple Ridge mayor.

"I'm a very accessible person," said Morden, explaining that if anyone ever wants to talk to him about any issue, he has always prided himself on making sure he's available to talk to members of the public.

Even when faced with people who might disagree with him on certain issues, Morden still thinks it's important to engage with his constituents as they're the ones he works for.
 

"I'm not going to not listen to people," said Morden.

Beare said that she's looking forward to getting in front of the public and engaging with the same constituents she's represented for the past seven years as the Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows MLA.

"It's a great chance to outline our positive vision for the future with the BC NDP government," said Beare. "It's always great to get questions from the community, engage with the community, and talk about things that matter to people."

Anyone interested in attending either of the debates can register at business.ridgemeadowschamber.com, where they will also be able to submit their question to the candidates as part of the registration process.

Politicians go head-to-head in Maple Ridge debates - Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows News (mapleridgenews.com)

About the Author: Brandon Tucker