It was debate night in Inuvik on Oct. 15 as 13 of 17 candidates for Inuvik Town Council and mayor met at the Midnight Sun Complex to showcase their platforms.

From 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., candidates were grilled by the public on roads, drugs and property taxes. The contenders for office were civil with each another and the public questioning was careful and concerned. Two of the candidates, Clarence Wood and Peter Clarkson, are running for mayor. The other 11 were vying for a council seat. Four candidates for council were unable to be in attendance due to various reasons and Bryan Wood has announced he no longer intends to run, though his name is still on the ballot.

Areas of concern included collaboration between governments, providing recreation opportunities for young adults, finding new revenue streams for the town, the need for a local addictions treatment centre and supporting infrastructure.

One area councillors were grilled on that required clarification were property taxes. With the GNWT completing its 10-year property value reassessment last year, many homeowners saw a dramatic increase in their home value and, by extension, their mill rate. However, incumbent Mayor Clarence Wood, as well as incumbent councillors Tony Devlin, Kurt Wainman, Alana Mero, Ned Day and Whitney Alexis pointed out that the town managed to keep its average tax rate down to a one per cent increase in its last budget.

Chief returning officer and senior administrative officer Cynthia Pihlaja said she was taking notes of some of the issues brought forward during the evening and said she hoped to have plans for better public engagement in place for the next council.

A recurring theme throughout the night was the town's over-reliance on social media for communication. Councillors suggested taking out advertisements on New North television, the local CBC radio station, 96.1 FM out of Whitehorse and Inuvik Drum.

In total, residents asked 10 questions of the would-be councillors. There were between 30 and 50 people in attendance.

Other issues which were brought up during the night included the state of the highways around town, tacking sustainability and infrastructure issues brought on from climate change and bringing back old programs, such as Inuvik Works and Heritage Days.

Municipal election day is Oct. 21.