An Oshawa ward voter guide created by Durham College journalism students is available ahead of Monday’s municipal election, giving residents a way to explore neighbourhood issues alongside profiles of the people seeking their votes.
The Chronicle announced the project on October 24. Second-year students in the Journalism – Mass Media and Journalism and Creative Writing programs prepared the coverage, according to the student publication.
Neighbourhood context alongside candidate profiles
The project goes beyond a list of names on the ballot. Students researched ward demographics, housing and income levels to describe the communities candidates want to represent.
They also examined local issues. For that part of the assignment, students were asked to speak with at least two community members, bringing residents’ perspectives into the ward reports.
The resulting collection, titled Get to Know Your Ward, is hosted on ArcGIS StoryMaps. Its public collection contains five linked stories and identifies Durham College’s second-year journalism students as the producers.
Interview responses and gaps are identified
Students were asked to contact every candidate for an email interview. The Chronicle says many replied, while others did not. The candidate biographies indicate where a response was not received.
That distinction matters when comparing entries: the publication does not claim that every candidate completed an interview. Readers can consult the individual profiles to see what information is available.
The Oshawa ward voter guide is a student reporting project, rather than a municipal announcement changing voting arrangements. This article does not endorse a candidate or rank the responses.
Residents can open the Get to Know Your Ward collection directly or follow the link in The Chronicle’s introduction. The municipal election is Monday, October 26.
