The Riverside Grade 5 students have had a lot of guest politicians making the rounds through their classes giving the kids the opportunity to quiz the candidates. I have to say, it was the most fun I had this entire election cycle. The questions, interest and excitement were unmatched to any experience I have had as a Councillor so far. Thanks to the Riverside teachers for giving the kids, and the candidates, the opportunity to talk politics.
Today I received a letter from the kids with some follow up questions. I can't believe these didn't come up because there was no end of great questions by this group. I will answer the questions below, but here's the letter:
Do you have a pet?
Yes. My family has a pet dog named Billy. He is a Havanese Shih Tzu Mix and is super cute. Billy is almost 7 years old. I took this picture of Billy on the weekend at the Floradale Dam Lion's Trail. I think he just ate a yummy liver treat which is why he is licking his lips.
Why do you not like Fortnite?
My youngest son Finn is 14 and he loves playing Fortnite. His parents think he loves playing Fortnite too much. Sometimes Finn and his friends play Fortnite so much that we hardly see him -- and that makes his parents wish there was no Fortnite. I have watched Finn play Fortnite and I have tried to understand why this game is so appealing to young people ... I still don't get it. Video games should be fun to play for a little while, but they shouldn't take over your life. Playing with friends, sports, board games, riding your bike ... now that's fun.
Did you get acclaimed the first time you ran?
In 2014 I ran in my first election for Woolwich Township Council. I was not acclaimed. There were six interested residents who wanted to represent Elmira residents. There were really great candidates running in 2014 — I'm glad Elmira chose me as one of their Councillors. Having elections is a great opportunity to talk about how we can make our community better. Unfortunately for the public, acclamations result in less discussion, which equals less interest. For democracy to work well, we must be engaged, informed and exercise our right to have a say.
Thank you again for the kind letter and follow-up questions from the Riverside Grade 5's. It totally made my day!