Stittsville residents will have an opportunity to pose questions to five of the seven Carleton provincial candidates on issues important to you, the riding and the province. Again, the Stittsville Village Association and Stittsville Business Association are hosting the Stittsville provincial debate. The debate is taking place on Wednesday, May 18 at the Stittsville United Church, 6255 Fernbank Road, beginning at 7:00pm. The doors open at 6:30pm.
For the last three elections when Carleton existed (1987, 1990 and 1995) the riding included the municipalities of West Carleton Township, Goulbourn Township, Rideau Township, Osgoode Township and the City of Kanata. It was abolished in 1999 into Nepean—Carleton and Lanark—Carleton. The riding was re-created by the 2012 electoral redistribution from parts of Nepean—Carleton (59%), Carleton—Mississippi Mills (41%) and a small portion of Ottawa South. The riding currently has a population of 131,375 and covers an area of 1,187 (km²).
The candidates participating in the May 18 debate are as follows:
Goldie Ghamari (Progressive Conservative – incumbent) A resident of Greely, Goldie Ghamari was first elected in 2018 and is running for a second term to represent the residents of Carleton. She is a former small business owner & international trade lawyer, community volunteer, youth mentor and a proud life-long Ontarian.
Kevin St. Denis (New Democratic Party) A resident of Richmond, Kevin St. Denis is looking forward to representing the residents of Carleton. He teaches grades Kindergarten to 8 as a designated occasional teacher for the OCDSB across Carleton.
Tom Dawson (Liberal) Born and raised in Osgoode, Tom Dawson has dedicated over 20 years to public service. He has represented Canada overseas diplomatically and volunteered on several boards. He worked in the telecom sector prior to becoming a public servant.
Cody Zulinski (Green Party) A resident of Stittsville, Cody Zulinski is a high school teacher and author. Prior to becoming a teacher, he gained his political roots working as an assistant in former city Councillor Shad Qadri’s office.
Rob Stocki (New Blue Party) A resident of Ottawa, Rob Stocki is a former Ottawa police officer, where he earned many commendations. He is a business owner, avid historian and community activist. This is his second time running as a candidate in an election.
The debate will be tightly moderated by Louise Beggs, a former Goulbourn city councillor, who has presided over Stittsville’s local debates provincially, federally and municipally. The official timekeeper will be Hélène Rivest, who throughout the years and several debates, has monitored the time allotted to speeches, questions and responses, notifying the moderator when the time limits have been exhausted.
This is your opportunity to hear from the candidates and learn about the issues that effect you.