MARATHON — The mayor of a North Shore community says his town has had a lot of success bringing young voices to the council table.
And Marathon Mayor Rick Dumas says he’s pleased to see the idea of youth or student councillors spreading to other communities in Northwestern Ontario.
“We’re really happy that our program is doing well in our community and we’re really encouraged to see other communities taking advantage of it,” Dumas told Newswatch. “You have to put a little work into it.”
“It’s about a process and just getting youth engaged,” he continued. “When you have youth engaged in your community, you have an opportunity to understand what’s happening at all levels, not just the level of a council table sitting around listening to administration reports all the time.”
“It’s about having those students sit on your council, engaging, having them on the agenda, giving their reports about what’s happening in their world.”
Dumas said, in Marathon, they’ve had high-school aged appointees attending meetings at town hall as student councillors since 2011. Youth councillors can’t vote on issues, as they’re not voted into office during municipal elections, but Dumas said they’re encouraged to offer input into any discussions around the council table.
“When you hear their input, it’s nice and refreshing, honestly.”
In October, Nipigon appointed two student councillors, Peyton Dumont-Saunders and Sasha Barber, after advertising for the positions in September. Also, at their Nov. 24 meeting, Fort Frances council members unanimously approved policy for youth council representatives, with the selection process underway.
“I’ll give a shout out to Marathon, we stole this idea from them,” Fort Frances Mayor Andrew Hallikas told Newswatch. “They’ve had a youth councillor for years.”
“They often bring their youth councillors to the (Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association) conference and we were very impressed with the quality of the youth councillors that they have, so we’re hoping to get a younger voice on our council.”
In Marathon, terms last for one school year, generally from October to June, Dumas said, adding that there’s never been issues filling the two seats each year.
“The whole point is that they’re just getting their feet wet, and maybe some year they’ll be back in as a municipal councillor or mayor in their communities or getting involved in other organizations and understanding the importance of local governance,” he said.
Dumas said it’s important for people to know what local governments are responsible for and how the process works, adding that it’s knowledge he wished he had at a young age.
“That’s the big thing is just understanding local governance.”
