Cloverdale Chamber to hold 2 all-candidates meetings ahead of municipal election

Cloverdale Chamber to hold 2 all-candidates meetings ahead of municipal election

Published 11:00 pm Thursday, September 3, 2026

The Cloverdale District Chamber of Commerce has announced two all-candidate meetings will be held ahead of the city election Oct. 17.

Scott Wheatley, the executive director of the Cloverdale Chamber, called the all-candidate meetings (ACMs) “unique opportunities” for voters to get to hear what mayoral candidates and council candidates have to say on issues important to people in East Surrey. He said the two different ACMs were set up to give voters in Cloverdale, Clayton, and Campbell Heights a chance to hear from those they are voting for.

Wheatley told the Cloverdale Reporter every mayoral candidate is booked to attend and the Chamber had been receiving a number of registrations for both all-candidate meetings.

“I expect both to be very informative,” he said. “Questions will be relevant to the needs and interest of residents of the East Surrey Area.”

Wheatley noted while the mayoral candidates are locked in, he doesn’t know exactly which council candidates will be in attendance for the council ACM.

“We’ve asked each party to send a maximum of two council candidates,” he added. “Otherwise, it would become too unwieldy.”

Wheatley said the ACMs are meant to be civil forums for respectful engagement. He said the Q&A format allows for both residents and the local business community to be a part of the conversation surrounding the municipal election.

“Like always, we want to hold meetings that are accessible, respectful, and meaningful for candidates and community members.”

The Q&A sessions for candidates will be held Sept. 22 and 23.

Wheatley noted registration for the council-candidate ACM will open at 4:30 p.m. on Sept. 22 in Shannon Hall on the Cloverdale Fairgrounds. That meeting will commence at 5 p.m. and run until 6:30 p.m.

He said registration for the mayoral ACM will open at 5:30 p.m. on Sept. 23 in the Clova Theatre on 176th Street. That meeting will run from 6 – 7:30 p.m.

Both ACMs will be moderated by Gregory Millard, a poli-sci prof at KPU.

“The Chamber’s 2026 Surrey municipal election engagement opportunities are non-partisan and are intended to support open dialogue between candidates and the East Surrey community.”

The Chamber is asking people to pre-register for the ACMs. This can be done by visiting cloverdalechamber.ca or by emailing info@cloverdalechamber.ca.

Wheatley said all questions for the municipal hopefuls must be submitted in advance. Questions can be emailed to info@cloverdalechamber.ca. The deadline to submit questions is Sept. 18.

For more info, visit cloverdalechamber.ca.

For info on where to vote, visit surrey.ca.

Shannon Hall is located at 6050 176th Street on the Cloverdale Fairgrounds. The Clova Theatre is located at 5732 176th Street.