Mayoral candidates to meet tonight

By NICKI CRUICKSHANK, BARRIE EXAMINER September 21 2010
Barrie’s mayoral candidates will have the city’s baby boomers to answer to, Tuesday night. The Barrie chapter of the Canadian Association of Retired Persons (CARP) wants to hear what candidates have planned for their city and their way of life for the next four years.
“Our membership is 45 years old and up, and our main theme is advocacy for the aging population,” said Gwen Kavanagh, CARP chairwoman. “We really are the voting population, and we have three questions to ask them. One is going to be about housing for seniors and also about transportation.
“We need the right housing that will reflect the needs of our aging population, and the different levels of income people have,” she added.
The group is holding a mayoral candidates meeting Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Steckley-Gooderham Funeral Home, 30 Worsley St. The meeting will be in the chapel.
But the event isn’t limited to CARP members.
“People think CARP members are the only ones who can come, but that’s not true,” said Kavanagh. “We’ve had 100 people RSVP, but it’s important for the public to know anyone can come.
“We’ll be opening the floor up to the public for questions after ours,” she added.
Kavanagh said she hopes the more people the meeting attracts, the more voters will show up at the polling stations.
“I can’t begin to tell you how important I think it is to vote. But, you shouldn’t vote blindly,” she said. “You want to know who you’re voting for and what their intentions are.”
And for those who might question the meeting’s location, Kavanagh said she’s just happy for the space.
“We were offered the chapel and it’s a gorgeous space,” she said. “The chapel seats 200 people comfortably and they can make room for more. It was a significant donation for a non-profit group, because we couldn’t afford to rent a space.”
The public is welcome to show up for the meeting, and, if they wish, RSVP to Kavanagh at 721-5170.