Sarnia mayoral debate already sold out, council debate tickets remain

Sarnia’s Oct. 19 mayoral debate at the Imperial Theatre is already sold out more than two months before election day, pointing to strong early public interest in the race. Free tickets remain available for the Oct. 20 city and county council debate, while both events will also be livestreamed.

More than two months before Sarnia voters choose their next mayor, every available ticket for the city's major mayoral debate has already been claimed.

The Oct. 19 mayoral candidates debate at the Imperial Theatre is now sold out, while free tickets remain available for the city and county council debate scheduled for the following evening.

Both events begin at 7 p.m. and will also be livestreamed free of charge, giving residents who cannot attend in person another way to hear directly from candidates before election day.

The early sellout suggests there is already substantial public interest in this year's mayoral race, well before the final candidate list has even been determined.

Four candidates are currently registered for mayor: Bill Dennis, Chrissy McRoberts, Scott Molson and Carrie McEachran. Nominations remain open until 2 p.m. Aug. 21, meaning the field could still change before the debates are held.

The debates are being organized in partnership by the Sarnia-Lambton Chamber of Commerce, Imperial Theatre, The Book Keeper, The Jean Collective and Healthy Democracy.

Organizers describe the events as respectful, non-partisan forums intended to help residents hear directly from candidates, learn more about issues facing the community and make informed decisions before voting. Admission is free, with tickets required because of the theatre's limited seating capacity.

The response follows strong interest in a similar debate series during Sarnia's 2022 municipal election.

Those events drew almost-full houses at the Imperial Theatre while thousands more watched online. By the week after the debates, roughly 3,000 people had viewed the mayoral and city-county council event online, while about 1,800 had watched the city council debate.

At the time, organizers said they had been overwhelmed by the size of the audience both in the theatre and online.

This year's council race is already considerably more crowded than the mayoral contest.

Twelve active candidates are currently seeking four city-county council seats, while 14 are seeking four city-only council positions, 26 candidates in total, with nominations still open.

Tickets remain available for that Oct. 20 debate through the Imperial Theatre box office.

Both evenings will include American Sign Language interpretation for people attending in person, while the livestreams will feature automatically generated closed captioning. Organizers say residents requiring additional accessibility accommodations can contact them in advance.

Sarnia's municipal election will be held Monday, Oct. 26.