COLD LAKE - City of Cold Lake council is exploring the possibility of stepping in to help organize election forums for the upcoming 2025 municipal vote, as concerns grow over whether local community groups can handle the task on their own.
With shrinking resources, the need for a neutral and professionally run platform where voters can hear from candidates has become a pressing issue for council members. The issue was brought up at the Sept. 17 corporate priorities meeting.
“This is something that's been on my head for many years," City of Cold Lake Mayor Craig Copeland said. "Back in the '90s and 2000s, the Cold Lake paper really ran the forums. The Chamber dabbled in it for a bit, but it's sort of drifted off now, and there’s no real community forum where people can see all the candidates,” said Copeland
Copeland suggested the City provide resources to help organize a municipal election forum, proposing a random allocation of $5,000 as an example.
"We could host it two Thursdays before the vote in the fieldhouse and make sure it's professionally done with proper audio," he said.
He emphasized the importance of a neutral, well-run platform.
“If the Chamber is not hosting it and willing to pay for it, who is?” he asked.
Coun. Chris Vining was cautious about the City's involvement, expressing concerns about maintaining neutrality.
“My only thing that I worry about with it is the perception that the City is putting fingers on the scale,” he said.
Vining expressed concerns about maintaining fairness, noting that returning councillors should not appear to have an advantage because of inside knowledge about how the forum is organized.
He suggested the City provide a venue and basic assistance but keep its involvement limited. “Once you kind of set that part up, then I think certainly on the council side we need to be disconnected from the process after that.”
CAO Nagoya shared similar concerns, raising the issue of who would be responsible for selecting the forum’s facilitator. "What kind of comes to my head is who is picking the facilitator or organization that will facilitate it?" he questioned.
Nagoya further elaborated, "Is it administration or is it council that's going to pick who's going to facilitate it and do it?" He emphasized the need for clarity, adding, "We just have to put those guidelines in there."
Coun. Adele Richardson supported the idea of a forum but also shared caution. “It’s a great opportunity for people in the community to hear different views, like for a councillor from a City perspective, how do we keep those lines?”
Coun. Bob Mattice agreed, saying, “I think we should pursue this, but really start the ball rolling and then hand it off to someone else.”
According to information from the City of Cold Lake released after the meeting, Mayor Craig Copeland expressed confidence in the administration’s ability to ensure election forums remain a democratic tradition.
“We are confident that our administration can come up with ideas about how the City can help ensure election forums continue as a democratic tradition in Cold Lake, while ensuring a transparent and open approach that guarantees neutrality.”
He emphasized the importance of fairness, adding, “Forums are a great chance for residents to hear about candidates’ ideas and plans for the community and to make a decision on which direction they want to go. As important as they are to have, it's equally important that they be fair.”
Administration will now research and draft options for programs that could assist with hosting an election forum, with plans to bring the matter back for further discussion at a future council meeting.
The next municipal election in Cold Lake is scheduled for Oct. 20, 2025.
