The Don Valley West all-candidates meeting drew a large crowd and heard lively answers from the five candidates Wednesday night at the Lea Room at Leaside Arena. The partisan back and forth continued in the absence of Premier Wynne, who was campaigning in Northern Ontario. Her failure to attend surprised many. One explanation offered by organizers was that the parties had agreed that their leaders would not attend meetings in their own ridings. It appears to be a new arrangement. The format consisted of written questions from audience members, a process that permitted organizers to filter repetition and irrelevant material. It also prevented speech making by audience members so inclined. Candidates were asked serious questions about the deficit, Hydro rates and transportation. Everyone had a plan to reduce the deficit and lower Hydro cost. The party members present were Peter Milczyn (sitting in for Premier Wynne) Jon Keiran, PC, Amara Possian, NDP, John Kittredge, Libertarian and Morgan Bailey, Green. The moderator was Brian Athey, past president of the Leaside Property Owners Association.
