As Mayor Don Iveson seeks to win another term when residents head to the polls in three weeks, Edmonton Elections is hosting a series of all-candidate forums that will give voters the chance to familiarize themselves with the candidates and their platforms. The events include 12 ward councillor forums, two mayoral forums and one mayoral candidate introduction session.

Edmonton City Hall, image by Flickr user Mack Male via Creative Commons

With 13 mayoral candidates on the ballot, tomorrow at the Shaw Conference Centre from noon to 1 PM, the hopeful civic leaders will present their policies and ideas to the public. The brief session allows attendees to compare and contrast the candidates, though there will be no question period from the audience or social media. Voters looking to put candidates in the hot seat will have the opportunity to do so at two three-hour-long mayoral forums on October 3 and 11. 

A number of community groups are also holding candidate forums, including an interactive session set for September 28 at the Hyatt Hotel Downtown. "Let's Be Candid: An Infill Q&A" will be a come-and-go session hosted by the Infill Development in Edmonton Association (IDEA) focusing exclusively on the pressing issue of infill development across the city. 

Mayor Don Iveson is seeking reelection, image by Flickr user Mack Male via Creative Commons

To be held from 5 to 8 PM, the event organizes candidates according to their geographic locations, with the mayoral competitors in the middle. Instead of the more formal panel-based question-and-answer format, voters are invited to walk freely throughout the room and ask their questions directly, a process that will be a boon for apprehensive voters who may otherwise have been reluctant to grab a microphone and speak their piece. 

Those unable to attend can watch the proceedings on a live webcast and submit their questions through Twitter. A full list of the candidate forums, including dates and locations, is available at this link.