Students across New Brunswick also voted in mock elections as part of an initiative to engage youth in the local election process.
In Charlotte County, schools in the Municipal District of St. Stephen, Eastern Charlotte, Saint Andrews, Grand Manan and Fundy Shores cast ballots.
Sir James Dunn Academy teacher Joseph Lee said the program, created by CIVIX, recognizes that learning doesn’t always come from textbooks.
“In this case students not only participate in the voting process before they are 18 years old, but they also organize and oversee a polling station at the school, tabulate the results and submit them to Student Vote Canada,” he said.
Lee was previously involved in Student Vote Canada during his time at Grand Manan Community School.
He said they often ask questions about the responsibilities of each level of government, but they also familiarize themselves with the vocabulary relating to each level.
“Students view individual platforms provided to studentvote.ca and on candidate websites. They also watch debates,” he said. “In this way they can put faces to names and ideas. On some occasions I’ve had my students go class to class to present to the other students.”
Around 170 students from SJDA in grades 6 through 12 participated in the program this year.
“There is a strong culture for learning and a desire to excel academically at SJDA,” he said. “Students want to acquire knowledge and are curious about how the world around them works.”
Lee spoke to varying opportunities in the community including the Huntsman Marine Science Centre, CHCO-TV — the owner of The Courier — and the fire department that feed the desire to learn.
“When students share their experiences from events like the soft shell clam study (through the Huntsman and the Peskotomuhkati Nation) or Saint Andrews Food Forest (Mrs. Kathleen Clark’s outdoor education class), other students are intrigued and want to participate in many aspects of their community and in public service,” he said.
According to the results, Steve Neil was elected mayor by 84 votes, with Guy Groulx and Charles Creaser coming in second and third respectively.
Notably, the same results as the general election.
At Fundy Middle and High School, Haley Mouland got students involved for the hands-on experience.
“They also get an opportunity to research and discuss local issues that may impact them,” she said. “Showing an interest at a younger age will help students become active citizens when they are of age to vote.”
Mouland said the most common questions are what each role on council does and how decisions are made.
According to Student Vote Canada, students elected a slightly different composition of council.
Alexa Detoarkis was elected as mayor, while David Hatt and Adam Hatt were elected at-large. Ward councillors included Logan Martin, Logan Cook, Matthew Hall, Patty Borthwick and Darrell Tidd.
In St. Stephen, around 1,580 students voted in their mock election.
Those students elected Steve Backman as mayor. However, the composition of Ward councillors had a couple of differences, composed of Chandra Best, Kris Booth, Justin Wesselink, Bernadette Cunningham, David Hyslop and Steve Morgan.
At Fundy Shores School, 27 students voted, electing Rachel Clark and Zac Kurylyk.
Over on Grand Manan Island, 698 students voted. Those individuals also voted incumbent Bonnie Morse in as mayor.
Additionally, they elected William Anderson, Susan Ballantyne, Phillman Green, Cara Greenlaw, Vernon Ross, Brady Ross, Wayne Sturgeon, Trish Toll, and Gary Urquhart — the exact composition of the incoming council.
Overall, more than 15,000 students participated in Students Vote for New Brunswick’s local elections, representing 112 schools, 51 municipalities and 50,000 ballots.
