The federal all-candidates meeting in Campbell River got called off nearly two hours before the event was set to take place on April 22.
The Campbell River & District Chamber of Commerce board of directors said it "sincerely apologizes for any inconvenience this may cause" in a media release on Tuesday afternoon.
The event was scheduled to be held at the Tidemark Theatre at 4:30 p.m. It was originally set for earlier in April, however, that date was postponed due to a scheduling conflict.
In an email, Green Party candidate Jessica Wegg told the Mirror the meeting was cancelled due to safety concerns. However, Wegg wrote the party didn't receive "any threats or information from anyone else that there was anything to worry about." Wegg said the news came as a "surprise."
According to a post on Conservative Party candidate Aaron Gunn's Facebook, the organizers were concerned about the "safety and well-being of all attendees, candidates, staff and volunteers."
"Recent community tensions, including a planned rally and counter-rally near the venue, have raised concerns about our ability to ensure a secure environment for everyone involved," reads a statement from the organizers in the post.
This comes after weeks of backlash against Gunn's election campaign from Indigenous groups, which was sparked by past social media posts where Gunn rejected using the term genocide to describe residential schools. Critics argue the posts amount to residential school denialism and demonstrate a lack of respect for Indigenous rights.
READ: Petition for Aaron Gunn's removal has reached over 15,000 signatures
The Mirror contacted the RCMP to learn if the police received reports of threats or had safety concerns ahead of the event. In an email, Const. Maury Tyre said he was "not privy to the (chamber's) reasons for the cancellation."
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Despite the cancellation, some candidates – NDP Party candidate Tanille Johnston, Wegg, Independent Glen Staples and Liberal Party candidate Jennifer Lash – spoke to the public about their parties' platform on the steps of the Tidemark at 4 p.m. Gunn did not show up, saying he would be door knocking instead following the cancellation. Still, Gunn hasn't attended any all-candidates meetings yet in the riding, including those in Powell River, Comox Valley, and Alert Bay.
Lash called the cancellation "unfortunate."
"It’s an opportunity for me to share the views of myself and the Liberal Party with people from Campbell River, but it would also be a great opportunity for Campbell River to hear all the views from the candidates," Lash said.
"Many of you redid your schedules to now show up here today to attend this debate – to ask us questions, to hold us accountable, and do your own due diligence on how you’re going to cast your ballot on April 28," said Johnston. "So it’s extremely disheartening that a single candidate can derail an all-candidates forum. I struggle to believe that if it was me that couldn’t make it, that we would have had the same accommodation."
- with files from Brendan Jure and Marc Kitteringham
