ARICHAT - A wide range of topics received attention as the four candidates for the Richmond riding in Tuesday's provincial election squared off in a live two-hour debate hosted at the Arichat studios of Telile Community Television.

Moderated by TELILE 24/7 host Adam Cooke, the event featured first-time candidates Trevor Boudreau of the Progressive Conservative Party, Matt Haley of the Liberal Party, Bryson Syliboy of the New Democratic Party, and independent candidate Alana Paon. The latter represented the former riding of Cape Breton-Richmond for just over four years before the election was called in July, first as a PC MLA but then as an independent after being ejected from the party caucus by PC Leader Tim Houston in 2019.

The nine topics for the debate included several questions submitted by individual members of the public and community organizations to Telile's headquarters. Organizations such as the Seniors Take Action Coalition, the Strait-Richmond Housing Matters Coalition, Richmond County's Accessibility Committee and the Strait Area Mutual Aid Association asked for the candidates' positions on Richmond County's aging population, the candidates' position on affordable housing and homelessness in the county, the need for disability-friendly infrastructure across the county, and the concept of providing funding for cash-strapped volunteer fire departments to assist in such necessities as training and insurance costs.

Other topics addressed during the two-hour Richmond candidates' debate included physician recruitment and health care, road maintenance, the concept of government funding assistance for large primary industries, and the means by which an individual MLA can be held accountable to the voters of Richmond County.