The Tri-Cities Chamber of Commerce (TCCC) has scheduled its next Mayors' Barbecue for after the Labour Day long weekend.
The 2022 edition of the annual event is set for Sept. 7 in Port Coquitlam with all five current municipality leaders set to field questions from local residents and business representatives.
This includes Richard Stewart (Coquitlam), Brad West (Port Coquitlam), Rob Vagramov (Port Moody), John McEwen (Anmore) and Jamie Ross (Belcarra).
The 2021 barbecue, held in-person at Westwood Plateau Golf and Country Club, saw all five mayors speak to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the well-being of their respective constituents.
A year later, the topic may be brought up again as the region continues recovering, as well as the trials and tribulations currently facing local residents with the rising inflation rates and higher cost of living.
And with civic elections taking place more than a month later — Oct. 15, 2022 — this event could act as a pitch to undecided voters for any of the mayors looking to seek re-election.
Green spaces were a hot topic at the 2021 event, too.
The pandemic encouraged many residents to go outdoors for fresh air after being cooped up in their homes, some of which made calls out to the mayors to create more parks and trails.
Other questions were related to city hall bureaucracy, accessibility to cannabis products, climate action and Indigenous reconciliation.
The 2022 panel is set to convene at Riverside Communty Church in Port Coquitlam (2329 Fremont Connector) on Sept. 7 from 5 to 8 p.m.
For more information, you can visit the event's page on the TCCC's website.
The Tri-City News is sponsor of mayors' barbecue.
- with files from Janis Cleugh, Tri-City News