Women are being encouraged to step into the spotlight of a male dominated industry, as the municipal elections grow nearer both close to home and province-wide.
Through the #ReadyForHer campaign, the Government of Alberta is hoping to encourage more females to take the lead in their community.
Coun. Lorna Storoschuk has served the community on Bonnyville Town Council since 2000, and is currently the only woman sitting on town council. She said that even though she is a woman, her voice is clearly heard amongst those of her fellow councillors.
“I think more and more women are getting more involved and interested in politics, and I think our community is fairly young and open minded on either gender being on council,” noted Storoschuk who is encouraging all women interested in running in the 2017 election to do so.
Storoschuk first ran for council because of her interest in what was going on in the community, how the town was being looked after by it's local council, and so she could play a part in the future of Bonnyville.
She also found encouragement from her husband Gerry, who at the time of her campaign was the mayor of Bonnyville.
“I decided to follow in his footsteps.”
Storoschuk is not the only woman to show her support for other females interested in politics. Mayor of Glendon Laura Papirny said she too encourages women with an interest in politics and who are looking to make a difference to run for council.
“I decided to run because I was concerned in the direction the village had gone. I wanted to try and improve the sense of community within the village and I wanted to promote our autonomy while improving our relationship with our neighbours.”
Growing up in Glendon, Papirny said she has fond memories of some of the local events including Canada Day and Pyrogy Fest.
“I remembered a greater feeling of community then… when we moved back as adults, the feeling of community wasn't the same,” she added.
With that in mind, Papirny ran for mayor, and said she didn't feel as though being a woman affected her chances of success.
“It was never a consideration that my gender or my age could be an issue.”
The Alberta government states that studies have shown that childcare and domestic labour, education and work, political culture and sexism, campaign resources, political parties, incumbency, and the electoral system, are all things women consider when debating on whether or not to run for municipal politics.
Papirny said having a great support system always helps with those challenges, and without her husband's support throughout the process, she wouldn't be able to manage it all.
“It's always a struggle to find balance between family and work, but that is something I think most women can relate too,” she said.
Storoschuk believes a lot of women feel the need to spend more time at home raising children, and that in some cases men are still considered to be the dominant partner in the relationship.
Papirny and Storoschuk agreed that it is important to have women sitting on municipal councils.
“The women provide, I believe, a different perspective than the men, and I think you need a combination of men and women, and different walks of life. You need businesses, you need all of that in order to bring collective ideas to council,” said Storoschuk.
On Oct. 18, Status of Women Minister Stephanie McLean announced #ReadyForHer, a campaign supporting women looking to pursue a seat on municipal office.
“Alberta cities and towns need councillors that reflect their communities. Half of Alberta's population is women, but men hold most of the positions (on municipal council),” McLean noted.
In 2013, women were elected to 490 of the 1,874 municipal office positions available in Alberta, coming in at an average of 26 per cent province-wide. Thirty two per cent of towns elected women on council, including the Town of Bonnyville and Glendon.
A position on council involves understanding local legislature, powers of municipal council, municipal administration, and how councillors are paid. Women interested in running must be 18 years of age, a Canadian citizen, and living within the local jurisdiction for a minimum of six consecutive months prior to nomination day.
Papirny recommends taking online courses, researching, and asking those with experience about the position when running, and to always remember, if elected, you can't please everyone.
“The key is to listen to the people and their concerns and try to move towards a solution; transparency and communication are so important.”
Another item to consider, Papirny noted, is time.
“You also have to be aware of the amount of time this will take. Meetings, planning, volunteering, interviews, all of it, it takes a huge amount of your time,” Papirny said. “Our CAO and assistant CAO, Melody Kwiatkowski and Crystal Hoffer, both do outstanding work for the village, and ensure I have everything I need to do mine.”
She continued, “This job is much easier if it is a team effort, so you have to be surrounded by the right team.”
Currently, there is one woman sitting on the Town of Bonnyville Council, while the MD of Bonnyville has none. The Village of Glendon has a female mayor, and a female councillor.
Elections take place every three years, with the next election coming up in 2017.
Papirny concluded, “This has been a great experience, I have definitely learned a lot. I didn't really know what to expect going into it, but I am glad that I have had this experience, and hope that I've made some meaningful changes.”
