How to Host an All Candidates Meeting

• A Community Centre may waive the room fee when you complete its declaration for sponsoring an all candidates meeting.
• Some venues already have sound equipment.
• An evening event may exclude parents with young children; consider child care or a weekend event.
• Plan for the accessibility and language needs of your community, including signing or interpretation.
• Coordinate across neighbourhood associations to join forces within a ward and avoid scheduling conflicts.
• Attendance can range from roughly 50 to 200 people, depending on the race and community.

Candidate coordinator: tracks the candidate list, sends invitations, follows up, collects community questions, and sends the meeting details and prepared questions.

Logistics coordinator: organizes materials and equipment, arranges technical support and refreshments, and recruits a timekeeper.

Moderator: welcomes attendees, explains the facility and meeting format, and introduces the candidates.

Technical support: tests, sets up, and operates the equipment.

Question collector and collator: gather written audience questions, remove duplicates, and turn similar submissions into concise questions.

Greeters: welcome people, direct them to the room and sign-in, and help with setup and cleanup.

1. The pandemic has exasperated the strains we have been building on our health care system for many years. Health care is delivered by federal, provincial and municipal governments. How will you work to improve areas of health care within the region’s jurisdiction like paramedic services, hospital facilities, retention of health care professionals, home care, public health, and so forth.
2. Waterloo Region just approved a new regional official plan. One of the central pillars is the county’s countryside line, intended to protect our farmland, natural areas and rural communities from urban sprawl. Will you commit to ensuring a successful implementation of the countryside line as a permanent boundary for future urban growth, even if it means defending against challenges by land speculators?
3. Name specific actions you would take to achieve transformWR commitments.
4. Are you accepting campaign donations from developers? Please give concrete examples in your answers.

• Recommend 2 min. per answer from candidates, unless you have a lot of candidates (e.g. Regional councillors) in which case you may need to allow 1 min per answer.
• Also pay attention to the media when collection issues for questions – newspapers and radio will bring up key current local issues.

Initial invitation

Hello, Kitchener candidates for Waterloo Regional Council, the Cherry Park Neighbourhood Association, the Victoria Park Neighbourhood Association, will be hosting an all candidates meeting for the Kitchener candidates for Waterloo Regional positions on Sunday, September 20th, from 2 to 4 in Victoria Hills Community Center, 10 Chickpea Drive, Kitchener. We are hoping you’ll be able to attend.

Each candidate will have space for the campaign materials and time before and after the meeting to meet and greet with the public. Prepared questions will be distributed to the candidates the week before the meeting, and new questions from the people will also be shared at the meeting.

I would appreciate hearing back from you,

Email reminder with details one week before

Hello, Kitchener candidates for [Waterloo Regional Council] positions,

Our all candidate meeting on [date of meeting] is quickly approaching. I wanted to get back to you with instructions and how the afternoon will proceed, and to give you the first four questions you’ll be expected to answer (see below).

Our format for the evening will be:

• A welcome by our emcee for the to the People and an explanation how the meeting will work.
• Introductory remarks by each candidate one minute each.
• Prepared questions, one minute per question.
• Questions from the floor [one] minute each, time permiting only.
• Concluding remarks one minute each.
• Mingling time 30 minutes afterwards.

The four advance questions from the community are as follows:

• [insert questions]

If you are unable to attend, we invite you to send a representative to share your prepared answers to the questions above.

Note that they will not be able to participate in the subsequent questions from the floor.

We will rotate the order in which each candidate speaks. To be fair to everyone, all the questions from the floor will be submitted to our questions moderator in written form and condensed and presented to the candidates by our emcee. There will only be questions from the floor if time permits.

Thank you and we look forward to seeing you on the [date of meeting]

NOTE: If they are unable to attend the event, you can allow them to have a substitute come and read their prepared answers and hand out their campaign materials, but not answer the questions from the floor.

• Use large, readable name signs so attendees and video viewers can identify each candidate.
• Provide enough microphones to minimize sharing.
• Have water, notepads, and pens available.
• Thank candidates for participating and send a final thank-you and evaluation after the event.

Designate a treasurer to account for budget requirements.

• Venue: the fee may be waived for a sponsored all candidates meeting; election officials may help validate the declaration if needed.
• Equipment: microphones and recording equipment may be available from the venue or through VisionWR.
• Refreshments: ask whether a local organization can donate them and be recognized at the event.
• Printing: seek an in-kind donation through a neighbourhood association or community network.
• Donations: consider whether passing a hat at the event can defray remaining expenses.

• Send a hold-the-date message to candidates and community organizations as early as possible.
• Make posters readable, inclusive, and complete with date, time, location, and sponsor recognition.
• Share through neighbourhood associations, community centres, libraries, schools, personal networks, social media, and public event listings.
• Look for a communications volunteer who can write press releases and speak with local radio and newspaper contacts.

• Rotate response order; going first or last can both be disadvantages.
• Track overtime and subtract it from a later answer or closing comment so every candidate receives equal time.
• Use a bell or another clear time signal.
• Collect questions in writing and have a quick, concise collator remove duplication.
• Give attendees a scorecard for notes.
• Provide tables where candidates can share campaign materials and meet attendees afterwards.

Emcee: choose someone with a strong voice who is comfortable, welcoming, and efficient. Introduce candidates in alphabetical ballot order.

Question collator: choose someone who is quick on their feet and a strong written communicator.