Fort Frances to add youth councillor in new year

Fort Frances will be the next northwestern Ontario community to appoint a youth councillor.

Council will add a seat in the new year for an interested high school student.

Mayor Andrew Hallikas says they are following in the footsteps of Marathon and Red Lake councils.

“I really think that it’s time that we had a fresh perspective on council that represents the younger demographic,” says Hallikas.

“We have a really good council, but it represents more of an older demographic. So I really think that we need to have representation from young folks know, what the young folks are thinking.”

The search for an eligible candidate is underway.

The person must be a full-time high school student and live in Fort Frances.

They also need a written recommendation from a school staff members and demonstrate an interest in municipal politics, or politics in general.

The successful candidate will be required to attend at least one meeting of council per month, with their term lasting one year.

“There are regulations, obviously, that affect municipal councils. They won’t be able to vote, and they won’t be able to sit in on in-camera sessions, but pretty much everything else they can do.

Hallikas says that includes having the ability to offer comments during council meetings and attending conferences such as Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association and Rainy River District Municipal Association meetings.

Hallikas says there is interest in the community, having been approached about the idea previously.

Council is scheduled to appoint their first youth councillor in January.