North Coast MLA Jennifer Rice points Prince Rupert Council towards creating conditions for diversity

North Coast MLA Jennifer Rice has some helpful notes for
the All Male Prince Rupert City Council
(image from previous City of PR home mailer)

A weekend Social Media post from North Coast MLA Jennifer Rice has made note of the current all male status of civic governance in the City of Prince Rupert, as well as to offer some helpful notes on how the City may wish to access funding on themes of diversity at the local municipal level.

Ms. Rice of course is an alumni member from Prince Rupert City Council elected in the 2011 election, having served municipally prior to her entry into Provincial politics back in May of 2013.

The current City Council which was elected in 2018, saw an entire male collective sent to City Hall, that following the retirement of incumbent councillor Joy Thorkelson and a vote count that saw Sarah Dantzer and Charmayne Carlson come up short in the votes of the just over 30 percent of the population that voted in that election.

A theme which we made note of with our post election coverage in October of 2018.

The tallies of 2018 were a far cry of ten years previous when Prince Rupert electors sent five women candidates to the Council Chamber, leaving only Nelson Kinney and Jack Mussallem  to represent the male gender of the day.

And while election decisions appear cyclical and at the choice of the electorate when it comes to the division of the Council Chamber between She and He; the province seemingly has some helpful advice available to create interest in seeking office and create the conditions for a municipal government more reflective of the diverse nature of the community.

Towards that goal Ms. Rice, called attention to the efforts of Municipal Affairs Minister  Josie Osborne and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities.

The notes include word of a webinar on the topic scheduled for tomorrow as well as further background on the topic from the FCM and the Women In Local Leadership program.

City Council last discussed the theme of gender and diversity in March of this year part of their recognition of International Women's Day.

At that session,  a pair of Councillors, Blair Mirau and Reid Skelton-Morven offered their assistance to anyone seeking an entry into municipal politics.

"I just want to follow up on Councillor Skelton-Morven's recognition of International Women's Day, recognizing of course that we do have a couple of fantastic role models in our senior staff. It's impossible for me to ignore that any woman in Prince Rupert does not see herself currently reflected in  her elected leadership. 

So I know it's going to seem  outrageously early to be thinking about the next election, but I did want to extend the offer to anyone who is, even if it's just a passing thought, they are more than welcome to reach out to me to have a conversation about what this job actually entails, the time and energy commitments, the practical  reality of what it means to be an elected official in Prince Rupert" -- Councillor Blair Mirau at Council in March 2021

For a look at some of the elements of a career in municipal politics see our Council Discussion archive to see what the path ahead may look like.