Don’t be surprised if Hugh Stevenson is not at tonight’s all-candidates debate, hosted by United Steelworkers Local 2251.
Stevenson’s campaign manager, Peter Burtch, confirmed via text message on Wednesday afternoon that Stevenson will not be in attendance.
“Hugh will not be at the debate tonight, we are focused on meeting voters at the door,” Burtch said.
He didn’t respond when asked if it was Stevenson’s decision to not attend or if the Conservative Party told him not to go.
This continues a trend of Stevenson not attending public debates nor answering questions from local media.
He did not attend the first debate, held in front of young people at the Algoma Youth Wellness Hub on April 10.
Stevenson also did not attend last night’s debate, held at Sault College by the Sault Chamber of Commerce. He was the only candidate running in the Sault Ste. Marie - Algoma riding that did not attend.
SooToday has reached out to Stevenson several times since the start of the election campaign, but no interviews have been granted.
He would not comment when SooToday learned he was resigning from his role as the Sault Police chief to run for the Conservative Party.
Stevenson’s campaign team requested interview questions via email on Sunday, March 23, which is the same day the questions were sent.
Instead of answering the specific questions, his team responded with a prepared statement nearly a week later, on Friday, March 28, focusing on what they called the “lost Liberal decade,” which they say caused “rising crime, chaos, drug abuse, and disorder taking hold in our streets.”
Stevenson also would not comment when SooToday asked if it was appropriate for him to wear his Chief of Police jacket while door knocking in Elliot Lake on April 2.
He did answer interview questions posed by Stephen Calverley, a freelance journalist at our sister site ElliotLakeToday. But that's only because Stevenson happened to knock on Calverley's door while canvassing in Elliot Lake.
Stevenson did not comment when asked about Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre’s stance on 2SLGBTQ+ rights after the co-founders of Rainbow Camp expressed concerns that Poilievre's beliefs could be dangerous to young people.
He did not comment when a councillor expressed concerns over the placement of election signs near a war memorial, although neither did any of the other candidates.
Stevenson did issue a statement when asked about the Conservative Party’s plan to repeal the Liberal government’s alcohol tax, but no interview was granted.
He was at Poilievre's rally on April 8 and at a media conference held the next day, but he did not do interviews at either event.
Tonight's debate is at 5:30 p.m. in the William Merrifield Room at the Royal Canadian Legion at 96 Great Northern Rd.