Have you ever wanted to sit down and have a beer with the people who want to represent you on Parliament Hill?
You have your chance.
Chapter Two Brewing Company is holding a series of all-candidate meetings, with a twist.
Usually, one candidate from each party in a riding is invited to take part in all-candidate debates, or meetings. Instead, brewery co-owner Chris Holt will host a separate party each Wednesday night until October 16 with candidates from Windsor West and Windsor-Tecumseh.
Holt, who is also a Windsor city councillor, is no stranger to campaigning having run in municipal elections and being a former Green Party candidate. He felt the old format needed a reworking.
"What I found with those was it wasn't that welcoming towards the average person, somebody who wanted to come to learn about the political parties, their platforms," said Holt. "It's more of an informal evening where you could actually get to know these people."
The first meeting Wednesday night will feature Conservative candidates. That's Henry Lau in Windsor West and Leo DeMarce in Windsor-Tecumseh.
The Liberal event is next Wednesday night, October 2, featuring Sandra Pupatello in Windsor West. Irek Kusmierczyk is running in Windsor-Tecumseh.
The NDP candidates, Brian Masse in Windsor West and Cheryl Hardcastle from Windsor-Tecumseh, will be at the brewery October 9.
The last event is October 16 for the Green Party. Quinn Hunt is running in Windsor West and Giovanni Abati is going door-to-door in Windsor-Tecumseh.
"You can just come and meet your candidates," explained Holt. "They can play off one another, maybe answer questions the other couldn't."
The People's Party of Canada also has candidates running in those ridings, Darryl Burrell in Windsor West and Dan Burr in Windsor-Tecumseh. The same for Marxist-Leninist candidates Margaret Villamizar of Windsor West and Laura Chesnik of Windsor-Tecumseh. Events for those two parties have not been scheduled.
Holt admitted many people may have made up their minds how they are going to vote October 21, but said he is after those who are still on the fence.
"People that are set in their ways and that have always supported party X, they're not really going to be budging," he said.
The meetings run from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. and will be live-streamed on Chapter Two's Facebook page for those who can not make it.
