2026 Orangeville Municipal Council Candidate Forum

Who is organizing the Candidates Forum?
The forum is being organized by Orangeville Food Bank as part of an advocacy project funded through a Food Banks Canada Advocacy Grant. The project includes the creation of the Orangeville Community Advocacy Working Group, a temporary group that brings community and lived-experience perspectives into local advocacy activities.

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Who is paying for the forum? Are food bank donations being used?
The forum is funded through a dedicated Food Banks Canada Advocacy Grant. These funds were provided specifically for advocacy activities and are restricted to the purposes of the grant.

No funds designated for food purchasing or other Orangeville Food Bank programs are being diverted to fund the forum. Restricted grant funds must be used for the purposes for which they were provided and cannot simply be redirected to another program or expense.

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Why is Orangeville Food Bank involved in advocacy?
Advocacy is part of Orangeville Food Bank's mission, which includes providing dignified food assistance, education, and advocacy for solutions to end poverty.

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Food Banks Canada and Feed Ontario also undertake advocacy work aimed at addressing the policies and systemic issues that contribute to poverty and food insecurity. As a member of these food bank networks, Orangeville Food Bank receives support and resources for advocacy from both organizations.

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Why hold a forum for Orangeville Council candidates if many social services are a County responsibility?
Different levels of municipal government have different responsibilities, and many social services are administered by the County of Dufferin. However, Orangeville Town Council also makes decisions that affect community well-being, including decisions related to land use and planning, recreation, transportation, local infrastructure and other municipal services.

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Orangeville is also represented on Dufferin County Council by its Mayor and Deputy Mayor. The forum is focused on issues that are relevant to the role of municipal government and gives Council candidates an opportunity to explain how they would approach those issues within the authority of the position they are seeking.

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Why aren't you only speaking with the Mayor and Deputy Mayor?
The Mayor and Deputy Mayor represent Orangeville on Dufferin County Council, but Orangeville's five Councillors are elected to make decisions as members of Orangeville Town Council, on behalf of their constituents. The forum is specifically intended to give residents an opportunity to hear from candidates seeking those Council seats about issues affecting the community.

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What is the format of the forum?
Questions will have been collected through anonymous online forms leading up to the event. These questions will be posed by our moderator to each candidate, who will have up to 1 minute to give their responses. There will be no ‘live mic’ questions from the audience, however we will accept in-person written questions until 7:30 pm, which will be considered for the end of the pre-selected questions, if the topic is not already covered.

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Will every candidate be asked the same questions?
Yes. Participating candidates will be given the same questions and the same opportunity to respond.

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Will candidates receive the questions in advance?
No, candidates will not receive questions in advance.

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Can members of the community submit questions?
Questions can be submitted online using the forms on our website at www.orangevillefoodbank.org/2026forum and in-person at the forum, between 6:30 and the 7:00 pm start time. Questions will be reviewed in advance to ensure they are relevant to the forum's focus and appropriate for municipal candidates. There will be no live audience questions during the forum.

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Who will moderate the forum?
Bernadette Hardaker has graciously agreed to be the moderator for the forum. The moderator's role is to facilitate the event and apply the forum format consistently to all participating candidates.

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Will the forum be livestreamed?
Yes. The forum will be livestreamed on YouTube. There will be no live questions submitted through the livestream.

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What is the Orangeville Community Advocacy Working Group?
The Orangeville Community Advocacy Working Group is a temporary group created as part of Orangeville Food Banks Food Banks Canada Advocacy Grant project. It is not a separate organization or permanent committee.​

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The group was created to bring community and lived-experience perspectives into advocacy activities and help identify issues affecting people experiencing poverty and food insecurity, as well as bring better understanding of the levels of government and what responsibilities fall under which levels.

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Who belongs to the Community Advocacy Working Group?
The Working Group includes community members, including people with lived experience. Orangeville Food Bank will not publicly identify individual participants.

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Protecting the privacy of people who access or have accessed food bank services is important to us, and participation in an advocacy initiative does not require someone to publicly disclose their personal circumstances.

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When was the Working Group established?
The Working Group was established in August 2026 as part of the Food Banks Canada-funded advocacy project.

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Is Orangeville Food Bank supporting or opposing any candidates?
No. Orangeville Food Bank is non-partisan and does not endorse or oppose candidates or political parties. The purpose of the forum is to provide an opportunity for participating candidates to discuss issues affecting the community. Candidates are provided with the same format, questions, response time and opportunity to participate.