All Candidates Event- Town of Perth Mayoral, Deputy Mayoral, Councillor Elections

The Perth and District Chamber of Commerce is holding an All Candidates Event for the Town of Perth Town Council Candidates on Thursday October 8th from 6:00pm-8:30pm at the Studio Theatre Perth. Doors open at 5:00pm.

This is a FREE event for the community/ open to the public to hear from the candidates for the Town of Perth (11 Councilors, 4 Mayoral and 3 Deputy Mayoral). Please register on the right hand column of this page. If you require any accommodations, or need help registering, please advise by contacting manager@perthchamber.com or calling 613-267-3200 by September 30th.

MAXIMUM SEATING CAPACITY HAS NOW BEEN REACHED. 

Don't worry if you didn't get a seat, to ensure the event is accessible to all, you can still view the event from home! 


The recording of All Candidates night will be on Cogeco channel 7000 and Cogeco Epico 100 at 8PM Saturday the 10th.  It will also at that time air on youtube https://www.youtube.com/c/yourtvbrockvillesmithsfalls 

 It will also air on both Cogeco channels  Monday the 12th at 10PM, Tuesday 13 7PM and a number of other times until the 24th of the month. 

The youtube video will be available for the entirety of the campaign.  



 

The subject matter will be economic development-centric and will focus on the 4 pillars members identified at our last Chamber Advocacy Roundtable in February: 

1) Staffing: Many business owners lament the difficulty of securing long-term staff. Consequently, staff turnover is high in this town. Issues relating to the affordability of living in the area, in addition to a lack of childcare options in the area, greatly impact the availability of reliable, long-term staff. Additionally, with rising gas costs, employees are preferring to live and work in areas with public transit access, which Perth lacks.
 
2) Permitting: Restrictions on building plans, and space rentals dissuade business owners from renting in town.  Many of the buildings are historical, but information on securing grants or funding to modify spaces for accessibility, etc., is not readily available. Parking restrictions and requirements deter businesses and is limiting infill developments options.
 
3) Childcare: The Town of Perth has few childcare options. Waitlists are so long that people are forced to look elsewhere, such as Smiths Falls, Almonte, and Carleton Place. Employees and owners therefore need to accommodate their own childcare schedules, which impact business hours, responsiveness and time spent running the business.
 
4) Housing: Perth is an expensive town in which to live. Prices are not much different from those in larger cities (ie. Ottawa). Some staff who work in Perth cannot afford to live, shop, or buy groceries here. New developments are on the horizon, however will they provide enough diverse housing needs for business owners and staff, while also growing a new customer base?

Format: Two question-and-answer periods. The first round from 6:00pm-7:00pm will focus on Mayoral and Deputy Mayoral Candidates. The second round from 7:00pm-8:00pm will focus on Councilor candidates. From 8:00pm-8:30pm there will be a meet and greet in which attendees can chat with candidates and ask them questions beyond the realm of the 4 pillars.

Questions from the public are welcome and encouraged. Please note: Attendees MUST submit their questions via email by Wednesday September 30. NO in-person questions from audience members will be taken during the event. The questions must pertain to one of the four pillars and must be submitted to either: 
 

Rose Grieder, Executive Director: manager@perthchamber.com, welcome@perthchamber.com

OR 

Joshua Smith, Chair of the Advocacy Committee: jsmith@aplinmartin.com.