The Residents of Estevan got to know a bit more about their candidates ahead of the provincial election, with all five of them making an appearance at the Estevan Chamber of Commerce's All-Candidates Forum.
That included Lori Carr from the Saskatchewan Party, Andrew Cey from the Saskatchewan United Party, Billy Patterson from the Saskatchewan Green Party, Phil Smith from the Saskatchewan New Democratic Party, and Phillip Zajac from the Buffalo Party of Saskatchewan.
Merissa Scarlett, Executive Director of the Chamber of Commerce, says that it was great to hear from the candidates.
"It was fantastic. We had our provincial candidates forum and we had all five come out and we asked them some really hard questions and the public was able to ask about eight questions to them. I thought it was a very successful place. So I think a lot of people learned a lot about each candidate."
Those questions ranged from healthcare, establishing a trade corridor to Churchill, and their thoughts on energy production in Estevan.
Scarlett says the community turned out both to listen and to ask questions.
"I was prepared with extra questions, so I wasn't sure what to expect, but I think our turnout was higher than I thought we'd get. We put 100 chairs out and I saw more chairs were getting out, so I was not expecting that much engagement, but I still expected some. But to get that many people asking questions and want to talk to our candidates, it's fantastic."
For Scarlett, the event has capped off her first week in her new role as executive director and she says she's happy with the experience.
"I was very nervous before I started, but I, like I said at the start. I really love politics and following it. So for me, it was kind of one of those things that as soon as I got up here and started going with it, I thought, 'Wow, I get to get paid to do something that I absolutely love and have an interest in.'"
Scarlett will get the opportunity to do that soon, with another all-candidates forum happening on November 6th for the civic election.
"2-3 weeks, I'm going to be back up here with the civic election. I am looking forward to that. Those municipal elections are very important. Those are the things that affect you the most right away. So as a citizen, I'm really excited for that."
That will take place at 7 p.m. at the Estevan Legion Hall. Anyone looking to send questions to the chamber early can do so at Executivedirector@estevanchamber.ca.