On the afternoon of Jan. 21, members of the council of the Town of Snow Lake sat down to a meeting with their counterparts from the Joseph H. Kerr student council.
Present on behalf of the Town of Snow Lake were: Mayor K. Stephen, Deputy Mayor R. Jones, Coun. J. Wilson, and chief administrative officer J. Willner. Representing the Joseph H. Kerr student council were: president Alexander Fisher, vice-president Katie Spruyt, secretary Isabelle Lamontagne-Miller, Grade 11 class representative Angel Cann, treasurer Polina Gapotiy, Grade 10 class representative Taelor Kowalchuck, spirit representative Christian Fisher, Grade 9 class representative Katie Spruyt and Grade 7/8 class representative Shayanne Stephen.
The purpose of the meeting was to discuss community issues facing the youth in Snow Lake. After opening the meeting, student council president Alexander Fisher, who is also a town council youth member explained the results of survey questions that Grade 7 to Grade 12 students at Joseph H. Kerr School were polled on.
These brought to light that community issues facing youth were divided into three categories: safety and security, recreation and healthy living, and planning for the future.
In respect to safety and security - the community’s youth feel Snow Lake is a safe place to live and many enjoy the crime free nature of the town. They do; however, feel that one area for improvement would be increased and more consistent lighting on area walking trails.
In relation to recreation and healthy living – a majority of youth feel they are able to enjoy a healthy lifestyle within the year-round activities of Snow Lake. Areas identified for improvement were within the footprint of the beach. Youth who were polled felt that the basketball court could use some paint and the nets on both the volleyball and basketball courts should be replaced. Additionally, they felt finer sand should be placed on both the beach and volleyball court, and that the beach house could stand to be cleaner. Also, students recognized the need for a central location for youth to hang out in the winter. Locations discussed were the Senior’s Centre and Christian Centre.
In regard to planning for the future - the general consensus of students is that Snow Lake provides local youth an opportunity to work and have a career in Snow Lake post-graduation. However, there were several career ambitions that seemed unattainable for postgraduate students. These were in the law and medical fields.
In closing discussion, Mayor Stephen thanked youth member Fisher for organizing the joint meeting and gathering the valuable information that council will consider. She also thanked youth attendees for their attending and welcomed them all back for a May 2016 meeting. The meeting adjourned at 4:30 p.m.
In other news … in an early February news release, the Progressive Conservative party of Manitoba announced that Snow Lake’s Angela Enright will be their candidate in the Flin Flon constituency for the April provincial election.
“Angela has many years of experience as a leader in business development and public administration in Northern Manitoba,” said PC leader Brian Pallister. “Her extensive knowledge and insight make her a very strong addition to the PC team. I look forward to working with her as we strive to bring a change for the better to the residents of the Flin Flon constituency, and to all Manitobans.”
Enright is a consultant on economic development, international trade and real estate. Her resume includes experience as general manager of Norman Regional Economic Development, town councillor, municipal chief administrator, as well as a provincial co-ordinator in assessment and taxation and a real estate broker.
As a volunteer, Enright was involved with sustainable resource management, community housing and thoroughbred horses.
