Empire-Advance

    As we are just getting into 2026, it’s a good time to review our options about local council elections. Our small group of three family owned newspapers, the Nee- pawa Banner & Press, the Rivers Banner and the Virden Empire-Advance collectively cover 24 towns and municipalities and seven school divisions.

    This fall is election time and the big day will be October 28, 2026. It’s time for prospective candidates to start thinking about their candidacy. It’s also time for voters to start encouraging good people to run for office. Why is it so important? It’s because our local school boards and councils affect our lives more than any other level of government. More than the federal and provincial government and more than the difficulties that may come our way from international affairs. In real estate they say, location, location, location. In politics it’s local, local, local?

    A person that I often check with about my columns had a good suggestion. He said, “Ask folks to organize a committee, a group or circle of friends who would talk to voters to promote the best or favourite candidate”. That way they could get really involved in the political process.

    In a recent letter released to the public, Courtney Kosteski, CAO for the RM of Gilbert Plains asked all councillors and members of the public to be more civil.

    She said, “Many good, experienced CAOs are leaving the profession. Not because they don’t care, but because the job has become increasingly difficult to sustain. Ongoing negativity, public hostility, name-calling, and personal attacks – often played out loudly on social media – take a real toll.” Kosteski set out eight principles for better results in municipal matters.

1.Criticize ideas – not people

2.Understand roles and limits

3. Pause before posting

4. Ask questions before assuming intent

5. Use proper channels

6. Respect that public servants are human

7. Recognize positive work

8. Model the behaviour you expect

    Following those principles would go a long way towards better governance.

    In one way or another, I have observed or been involved with municipal politics for over 50 years and I believe that local politics is both more complicated and more difficult than I have ever seen it. Many years ago, a municipal reeve said all that the RMs had to worry about was gravelling and upgrading the roads in the summer and plow- ing the roads in the winter. I don’t think it was ever that simple in the past but it is far beyond that today. Senior levels of government have off-loaded responsibilities for everything from roads and drainage to health care. And every off-load brings its own costs and trouble. While there is a lot of stress and even conflict in municipal and school administration, well run councils and boards are essential.

    There’s an old rural adage about voting-If you don’t vote, don’t complain. As voting percentages fall, and they are dropping, it seems that the non-voters are in two categories. The first group don’t vote but they still complain a lot. The second group don’t vote and don’t

say much. Quite frankly, neither group is much use to the functioning of our democracy. It is amazing to me that people don’t vote. Possibly we are way too comfortable, maybe there are other reasons.

    We have a number of months to bring changes or improvements to our communities, don’t miss that chance.

    Disclaimer: The views expressed in this column are the writer’s personal views and are not to be taken as being the view of the newspaper staff.