Facebook Page : Search for "Nanaimo Municipal Election 2018" in the Facebook search box. The Online Chat is listed on the right hand side of the page under "Events". If you have a Facebook account, please consider indicating if you're "Going" or "Interested" to show your fellow residents that the Chat will be well attended.
=0D=0A=Anonymity : There is no obligation for someone to use their own name in the chat, so participants who choose to do so can feel more unencumbered when they ask questions. Additionally, the chat program (Chatstep) being used keeps no records of the chat or user data, offering another layer of anonymity. Naturally this doesn't preclude the expectation that participants will conduct themselves civilly. Hope this feature makes more people feel comfortable with participating.
=0D=0A=From the comfort of your own home you will be able to chat live with the Candidates in this year's Municipal Election.
=0D=0A=Do you have a pressing question you want to ask one of the people who might very well be a member of the new City Council? That's great! There's a good chance a fellow Nanaimo citizen has the same question and would love to hear the answer. This is an opportunity to hear feedback from many of the Candidates and learn what your fellow residents think about local issues.
=0D=0A=A bit shy? No problem. There's no obligation to participate. Just enter the chat session and sit back in comfort to read through a 2 hour snapshot of issues that are of concern to your fellow Nanaimoites and some of the ideas of the people who want to take on the mantle of leadership to tackle them.
=0D=0A=Want to check out the chat program we'll be using? Just do a Google search for "Chatstep". It's an online chat program that is very light on computer resources use, so pretty much anyone should be able to run it on their computer without issue.
=0D=0A=As with every election, there are a lot of important issues to discuss. If you have a free Saturday evening on one of the chat dates over the next 3 months, consider dropping in. Maybe you have a great question that could really help inform someone's decision this election.
Thanks and have a nice day.