Vancouver, BC (November 2, 2011)

Unlike other debates, Last Candidate Standing doesn’t just focus on the frontrunners – all 61 registered candidates running for mayor or council have been invited to make their case before an expert panel and a sold-out audience of more than 200 voters.

Candidates will be on the clock as they respond to the panel’s questions covering a broad range of campaign issues. The candidates with the best answers, as judged by the panel and audience, will move on to the next round – those that don’t measure up will be eliminated. At the end of the night, only one candidate will be left standing.

“This event is a great opportunity for voters to learn about the diversity of candidates who are seeking office in our city,” says Anthony Hamilton, coordinator of the VPSN’s Democratic Spaces working group. “We’re pushing the boundaries of the debate format to have some fun while creating a more inclusive public forum that represents the full spectrum of viewpoints in this election.”

Last Candidate Standing will be hosted by Vancouver-based writer and broadcaster Steve Burgess. Panelists include:

• Theresa Lalonde, reporter, CBC Vancouver
• Matthew Soules, assistant professor, UBC School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture
• David Beers, editor-in-chief, The Tyee
• Alissa Sadler, vice-chair, Vancouver Public Space Network

The sold-out event takes place from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at UBC Robson Square. In between rounds of the candidate showdown, local band Wee Boy Pretty will provide musical entertainment. Limited wait-list spots available: lastcandidatestanding.eventbrite.com

Last Candidate Standing is part of the VPSN’s Vancouver Votes initiative. Throughout the civic election campaign, the VPSN has been maintaining www.vancouvervotes.ca as an up-to-date, non-partisan resource collecting candidate survey responses, election news, and essential voter information. Vancouver Votes is also active on Twitter at @VanVotes.

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More information:
www.vancouvervotes.ca
www.twitter.com/vanvotes (event hashtag: #LCSVan and #VanElxn)

Media contact:
Anthony Hamilton
Vancouver Public Space Network
604.565.1213
anthony@vancouverpublicspace.ca

Launched this week by the VPSN as a non-partisan information source, the Vancouver Votes website will assist voters by introducing the candidates for Mayor, Council, and Parks Board, and highlighting their respective positions on a range of civic issues. The site will also provide general information on the electoral process and regularly updated links to election-related media coverage.

“Our goal with this site is to help Vancouverites make an informed decision on November 19,” said Anthony Hamilton, coordinator of the VPSN’s democratic spaces working group. “By offering an independent source of information on the election, we hope to encourage broad citizen participation in the electoral process.”

Over the course of the campaign, Vancouver Votes will release the responses to survey questions submitted to each candidate. This will give voters the chance to compare candidate positions across a broad range of issues.

The 2011 campaign marks the return of the Vancouver Votes website, which debuted to an enthusiastic response during the 2008 election.

As part of its election-season activities, the VPSN will host “Last Candidate Standing,” an all-candidates debate with a twist, on Saturday, Oct. 29. Unlike traditional debates that focus only on the front-runners, every candidate for Mayor and Council will be invited to field questions from a panel of local media experts. In between rounds, musicians and performance artists will take the stage for a series of creative interludes. More information is available on the Vancouver Votes website.

Vancouver Votes is also on Twitter (@vanvotes) and will be tweeting throughout the campaign. Join the conversation by tagging your tweets with the hashtag: #vanelxn

With the upcoming election and the impact it will have on public spaces, now is an excellent time to join the VPSN’s Democratic Spaces Working Group. The group will be:

• Co-hosting “Last Candidate Standing,” an exciting municipal debate where the audience votes off candidates and is entertained with live performances;
• Operating the Vancouver Votes website, a clearinghouse of election-related issues;
• Preparing the VPSN’s manifesto.

In the past, the working group has focused on two dimensions of the relationship between democratic health and public spaces:

1. Public space as the physical site of democratic behaviour:
   • Looking at poster cylinders, public information sources, voting, and the consultation process.
2. As a forum for provoking discussion on key policy issues:
   • Civil City, Housing and Homelessness.

After the election, the Democratic Spaces Working Group will continue to work towards making Vancouver more democratic. A democratic city has open and accessible spaces and processes, promotes the interaction of people, the exchange of ideas, and facilitates public deliberations on issues and solutions. We will work towards a more democratic city by collaborating with other interested people and organizations, developing solutions to current issues, and making recommendations to fellow decision-makers.

If you are interested in making Vancouver a more democratic place, join us Wednesday, Sept. 14 at 6:30 p.m. in room 3255 at SFU’s Harbour Centre.