The Rosetown Town Council is considering adding a youth councillor to their board. The Council is currently reviewing the following section of the Municipality Act:

‘In accordance with the Municipality Act, Council can appoint a person with the title of Youth Member to sit with the Council in its deliberation for a term and conditions as established by Council. The Youth Member must be at least 18 years of age at the time of appointment. The person appointed as Youth Member is not a member of Council, and shall not be counted for the purpose of determining quorum or deciding a vote of the Council.’

Mayor Subhas Maharaj shared that he had seen this appointment made during his first run as mayor and welcomes the idea for the town again.

“I think it may encourage youth dialogue and perhaps spark some interest in what is taking place in the town,” Mayor Maharaj commented, “It gives them a voice, gets them involved and engages them in regards to what they want to see in the community.”

Mayor Maharaj knows that students and the youth are very important to our town and can offer a fresh perspective. He also feels that the Youth Member position a great way for youth to start getting into politics.

“Starting locally is great in terms of understanding the different levels of politics as they grow.”

The idea of opening a seat up to a student was just briefly touched upon during the June meeting of council, and if passed, it would most likely not be initiated until September or October.