District of Muskoka and YWCA partner to give women a boost to enter the local political arena

BRACEBRDIGE - The District Municipality of Muskoka in partnership with YWCA Muskoka, has received a grant of $5,000 through the Towards Parity in Municipal Politics (Towards Parity) project that is sponsored by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and funded by the Department for Women and Gender Equality. 

The Towards Parity program funds local initiatives that strengthen opportunities or reduce barriers for women and allow them to fully participate in local government. The District of Muskoka is one of 20 grant recipients across Canada.

Muskoka’s Towards Parity project plans to engage a range of local women in a one-day Election School with three follow-up Booster Sessions to further prepare women as they work toward their candidacy and running for municipal government in fall 2022. All events will take place in the spring of 2020.  Currently in Muskoka there are 52 municipal councillors, (including the Chair and Mayors). Of these, 30 percent (16) are women, despite the fact that women make up almost 51 percent of Muskoka’s permanent population (Statistics Canada: 2016 Census).

“The experiences of women in Muskoka are critical to the sustainable development and well-being of communities in changing times, especially when locally-delivered, provincially-funded services like employment supports, social assistance, child care fee subsidy, education and health are under pressure to privatize, downsize, develop new operational models or amalgamate into larger catchment areas” said John Klinck, Chair of the District of Muskoka. 

“This project is particularly important as the perspectives and experiences of women need to be seen and heard in rural communities like Muskoka, and in local municipal government in general. If decision-makers are predominantly men, Muskoka will continue to reflect the values, cultural perspectives, unconscious biases and priorities which benefits their interests’ above other more marginalized populations,” said Hannah Lin, Executive Director of YWCA Muskoka.

Muskoka’s Towards Parity Election School and Booster Sessions will focus on women who are interested in becoming involved in municipal government by providing engaging information and educational opportunities.  It is hoped that by reducing barriers the project will help increase the representation of women, and amplify the voices and visibility of women in municipal government across the district.

For more information about the project and for updates on the Election School and Booster Sessions, please contact YWCA Muskoka at: 705-645-9827.