By Matt DeBock
Youth issues are taking a front seat in local politics as part of the transition to the new City of Ottawa.
“It’s a very special time,” says Rhonda Bradley, program co-ordinator for the Ottawa transition board. “We’re never going to have this moment again, to be able to create a city that reflects all of us.”
Youth have a history of being heavily under-represented in local politics. With this in mind, the transition board established a committee to study issues and concerns of people aged 12 to 24.
“It’s very important for youth to have some sort of liaison,” says Centretown resident Jay Nordenstrom, co-chair of the youth transition committee.
And the committee is taking its job seriously.
It has proposed the creation of a youth cabinet with a representative from each ward and the appointment of two city councillors as advocates to carry the cabinet’s concerns and initiatives to city council.
The proposal to involve young people in the transition came from local businesses and media. “They said youth should be considered, their voice should be heard,” Bradley says.
The committee spent the summer researching how other cities handle youth issues. They recommended the creation of a youth cabinet loosely based on Toronto’s model.
“It’s important to work closely with city council,” Nordenstrom says. “(Toronto has) a city councillor who works very closely with their cabinet.”
Adrian Johnston, chair of the Toronto youth cabinet, says while his group has had success, there are potential pitfalls Ottawa should avoid.
“One major problem is tokenism,” says Adrian, 17. “The cabinet has to be effective, or else it’s just there to make the mayor look good.”
He also offers advice to young people who are involved in Ottawa politics.
“Be ambitious,” he says. “Look at what youth need and go after it. (Young people) have a lot of energy, we have a lot of knowledge, we have a lot of talent.”
Nordenstrom says while the youth committee adopted the best parts of the Toronto system, it has also examined other possibilities before making a decision.
“Every city is different,” he says.
The youth committee’s full recommendations will be presented at Ottawa-Carleton regional headquarters Dec. 4.