The following statement was given today in the House of Assembly by the Honourable Steve Kent, Minister of Municipal and Intergovernmental Affairs:

Minister Recognizes Councillors for Making Their Mark

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise today in this Honourable House to highlight the fantastic work done by our municipal councils across this province. In particular, I want to thank councillors who recently retired from office and to recognize new councillors who have come forward to serve. I would also like to thank returning officers for their important contribution to the election process.

On September 24, we saw almost 2,000 candidates step forward during the municipal election to offer themselves for consideration. These individuals were young and old, women and men and came from all walks of life. They had one thing in common – the desire to make their communities better places.

Mr. Speaker, I can now confirm that on September 24, 125 elections were held and 74 councils were elected by acclamation. Our officials are working with communities to provide guidance and training as new councils begin their important work.

When we look at the gender distribution during the 2013 election, of the 804 who were elected we saw 551 men (66 per cent) and 253 women (34 per cent) taking office. This represents a two per cent increase in elected female councillors.

Mr. Speaker, I am also pleased to report the success of our Make Your Mark campaign in promoting the recent election, and encouraging candidates to step forward for nomination. Our grassroots campaign focused on promotion through online videos and posters and a targeted social media campaign which saw the Make Your Mark hashtag being used by candidates across the province.

One significant aspect of our work with our town councils is municipal training and support. In fact this coming Thursday I will be attending the Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador Convention here in St. John’s. We will be participating in a number of sessions over the three-day period to provide updates on infrastructure developments, municipal operating grants, councillor orientation and our ongoing fiscal framework review.

Mr. Speaker, I look forward to working with our new councils as we build stronger communities for our children and families across Newfoundland and Labrador.

Thank you.

2013 11 04                                     1:55 p.m.