Whistler's candidates for council met on Wednesday night for the second of three all-candidates meetings in what wound up being another lighthearted and informative affair.
Like last week, candidates were given two minutes to introduce themselves before fielding questions from organizers and the audience.
The theatre at the Maury Young Arts Centre was standing room only for the second straight week as hundreds piled in to hear candidate positions on everything from raising the bed cap to making it easier to hire foreign workers (though the crowd dwindled significantly in the latter half of the meeting).
Where social issues like mental health took centre stage at the first meeting, housing was the hottest topic on Oct. 3, with candidates being asked for their thoughts on how to fund the next phase of Cheakamus Crossing, their medium and long-term housing goals, illegal nightly rentals and keeping rental rates affordable (among other housing-related questions).
Candidates seemed agreeable and amicable, both with each other and the audience, with more than one extolling the value of cooperation.
There were again some big laughs to go around, which at one point prompted moderator Mo Douglas to remind the audience to be respectful of candidates' speaking time.
Other topics covered during the three-hour meeting included improving traffic, increasing transparency, cannabis retail sites, keeping taxes low and affordability.
The meeting, hosted by the Whistler Chamber of Commerce and Pique Newsmagazine, was attended by all 20 candidates, save for Steve Andrews (who once again sent representative Marcus Culver in his place while he's out of the country): Gord Annand, Lance Bright, David Buzzard, Arthur De Jong, Larry Falcon, Jen Ford, Ralph Forsyth, John Grills, Nathan Hawkins, Duane Jackson, Tova Jamernik, Cathy Jewett, Miroslav Kolvek, Janice Lloyd, Jeff Murl, Ira Pettle, Brian Reid, Melanie Tardif and Dawn Titus.
Check back with Pique for more from the meeting.
