Council candidate Praveen Joshi delivers a pamphlet to a home as part of last minute campaigning (Tiffany Goodwein/CHATNewsToday)

By Tiffany Goodwein

The race to the finish: Candidates spend last weekend vying for more votes

Oct 17, 2021 | 9:45 AM

MEDICINE HAT, AB– The clock is ticking to election day and over the weekend, candidates were busy canvassing the city hoping to secure more votes come October 18.

“I’ve got some volunteers here, there is about a dozen of us putting out the last postcards at the door,” said council candidate Brian Dueck,” who was canvassing the Flats.

Council Candidate Brian Dueck delivering campaign postcards on Saturday ( Tiffany Goodwein/CHATNewsToday)

In Crescent Heights, candidate Praveen Joshi was also out, trying to connect with more voters.

“I’m feeling really good, and excited, and whatever the results will be, it doesn’t matter. What matters is whoever gets elected should do the best for the city of Medicine Hat, and if I get elected I will stick to my promises,” Joshi said.

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Over Alan Rose’s campaign office, several candidates gathered for a meet and greet with voters as the clock ticks.

“ If you are running for an election or any elected position these next couple of days you have to be nervous. You have to worry about who is going to come and who is going to vote,” said council candidate Immanuel Moritz.

This is Moritz’s second attempt at a council seat. His first was back in 2017 when he finished in eleventh place. Still, Moritz said this time around the race has been undoubtedly unique.

“ COVID-19 makes it different. Door knocking is a problem, you have to do more meet and greets where you see people in a smaller context,” Moritz said.

Despite the constraints of COVID-19 , mayoral candidate Alan Rose has been campaigning hard to win, with social media, meet and greets, mailers, and even a team waving signs along Dunmore Road.

“We’ve been going out on the streets with signs, getting people’s opinions, interacting, yeah so we have been busy the past few weeks,” Rose said.

For Kelly Allard who was virtually unknown to most citizens, the response throughout her campaign has been overwhelming, she said.

Allard has been widely known for using social media to get her message across, often criticizing the current mayor and council.

“I’m not a part of the club. I’m a complete outsider, and so I have the freedom to speak up and speak out and talk about things, that are not good.” she said.

Council candidate Stephen Campbell said overall the experience of running has been a positive one.

“ I’m nervous, but at the same time, I have that confidence that I will secure a seat. Hopefully anyway I have my fingers crossed,”

As the candidate’s canvass, wave, and answer questions, learning about the community’s needs has been rewarding, according to some.

“ That is actually my favorite part,” said council candidate Mandi Campbell.

“The one thing that I learned from knocking on so many doors, especially in Southridge is there is definitely a need for a recreation facility in the south end. So I actually added that to my platform,” Campbell said.

CHAT News will be live on election night with extensive coverage of the results in Medicine Hat, Redcliff, and parts of Southern Alberta after the polls close at 8p.m.