North Kildonan

Sisters of the Holy Rock to play St. George’s Nov. 22

St. George’s Anglican Church (168 Wilton St.) will play host to a concert by Sisters of the Holy Rock on Saturday, Nov. 22 at 7 p.m.

Tickets are $25, and can be purchased by calling the church’s administrative assistant, Marian, at 204-453-5642 (ext. 1).

This fall, I’ll be introducing a private member’s bill to modernize who gets to participate in Manitoba’s municipal and school board elections. The legislation would extend voting rights to permanent residents and lower the voting age to 16 years old, two long-overdue changes that would make our local democracy more fair, inclusive and forward-looking.

Across the world, other jurisdictions are already taking steps in this direction. Austria lowered the voting age to 16 in 2007. Scotland and Wales allow 16- and 17-year-olds to vote in local elections. And just this year, the UK Parliament has been debating a similar change. In Canada, many communities are actively discussing how to better engage young and underrepresented voices in local decision-making.

There’s a good reason for this: people who vote early are more likely to become lifelong voters. But right now, young people aged 18-24 have the lowest turnout of any age group. Giving them the opportunity to vote while they’re still in school and living at home could change that and create a new generation of engaged citizens. In the case of school board elections, it would also mean that trustees have a direct responsibility to listen to the students they serve.

The bill would also give permanent residents the right to vote in local elections. These are people who have lived in our communities for years, raised families here and paid the same property taxes as everyone else. Many are homeowners. All contribute to our cities and schools. But under the current rules, they have no say in who leads their municipalities or their children’s education. That’s not right.