Student Essays on "What A Mayor Should Do"

Catherine S. Swift, President and CEO, Canadian Federation of Independent Business, and First Vice-President and President-Elect, The Empire Club of Canada; Rev. Canon Kimberley Beard, BA, BEd, MDiv, Senior Pastor, St. Paul's On-the-Hill Anglican Church, and Director, The Empire Club of Canada; Royson James, Municipal Affairs Columnist, Toronto Star; Stephen Hewitt, Manager, Corporate Communications, Corporate and Public Affairs, TD Bank Financial Group, and Director, The Empire Club of Canada; Marc Kielburger, Co-Founder, Free the Children; Taylor Gunn, Chief Election Officer, Student Vote; and Fred Kuntz, Editor-in-Chief, Toronto Star.

Introduction by John Niles

At the height of Mark Twain's career as an author and speaker he was making one dollar a word for every word he wrote. That is quite a significant amount of money for any author, even today.

A couple of students heard about this and sent him a letter--when there were still letters and not e-mails and text messages. And they enclosed one dollar in the letter. They asked the great Mark Twain to send them his best word. They received a reply in a letter a while later with one word--THANKS--signed Mark Twain. It's a good word.

Today we are thankful to have three people who will give some good words and advice, all three of whom will be awarded more money per word than Mark Twain ever received in his writing career.

Over the course of the last month more than 200 young people wrote to us about their views on what they thought the mayor of their community should be doing.

It was truly a very difficult task to decide who ought to come to the semifinals and give their speech. And it was even more difficult to decide after hearing the 16 students which three would be given the opportunity and honour to speak at the Empire Club of Canada.

The Empire Club of Canada you understand is the premier speakers' forum of North America. It is where every prime minister of Canada has spoken as well as many presidents of other countries like President Reagan of the U.S. and Prime Minister Winston Churchill of England. This year His Excellency Mr. Vladimir Putin, President of Russia, and Her Excellency Viera Vika Frieburga, President of Latvia, have spoken to us. Ambassadors like Michael Wilson will speak to us in January. Royalty like Prince Philip and the Queen Mother and His Royal Highness King Hussein of Jordan have also spoken to us. Heads of corporations like Bill Gates have spoken to us as have writers like Rod McQueen, Ted Barris, Peter C. Newman, Robertson Davies, Margaret Atwood and W. O. Mitchell.

And today Larissa Becirovic, Julie Harmgardt and Joseph Singh will speak to us.

After all three have spoken, it will be the audience's difficult task to decide who will be the one to win this speech contest. Everyone who has written is already a winner for having simply done so. However, only these three will receive an award. All three are already winners. You, however, will decide who will win first place.

Larissa Becirovic

Issues Affecting Teens in Toronto

My name is Larissa Becirovic. I am a high school student, a citizen of this great city, and a future voter. I was very intrigued by the article in the "Toronto Star," which informed me of my influence in the future, and that I can take that influence and apply it now in the municipal government of Toronto. Just the idea of my thoughts, opinions and positive ideas having some impact on the city that many people call home was something I could not disregard. In this case, I must say that I believe my future mayor, the person who has the power and responsibility to effect change, should focus their attention on the crimes that have made an increasing impact on this city.

Our city has low crime ratings compared to other major cities; we ranked a low 28th place in homicide and robbery, and an even lower 29th place in breaking and entering. In comparison, we are doing a successful job in keeping those rates low. However, there is one rate that has begun to increase steadily. This rate is youth crime, where the number of offenders is increasing and the percentage of youths being charged has been increasing as well. These crimes include school assaults, and gang violence. One example was the murder of a young man in Flemingdon Park, whose killer has not yet been found. The fact that the city's young people, like me, could lose their life because of the mistake of involving themselves in a gang is outrageous.

The future cannot lie in the hands of people who only look out for their own interest, and disregard the needs of others and our justice system. That is why I suggest that the mayor should enforce more justice in catching the people who are out to corrupt our streets, because the lives of our fellow citizens are more valuable than anything else. Possible solutions for this problem are to enforce more police in areas where gangs mark their territory. We have more than 80 different gangs in this city that involve over 2,000 young people. Another way to combat the rise in youth crimes is to increase the amount of money that goes into our schools, not only for academic purposes, but for extra-curricular activities and other programs. Textbooks may provide the book knowledge that a student will carry with them throughout life, but extra-curricular activities teach fundamental social morals that guide the student onto the right path. With an increase in these activities, there is no doubt that crimes pertaining to the youths of our city will decrease. The positive sense of belonging that is automatically felt when joining a team or club is more valuable than the acceptance of a gang to any teen.

Another crucial aspect of Toronto that I would like to see changed is the amount of hate crimes that are found in our city. As a Canadian, I am proud to know that my background ethnicity is accepted and respected in this multicultural country, yet some people do not find this true for them. There are many different people that call Canada home, so the hate crimes that are found on our streets are just not acceptable. Whether it is vandalism on a religious building of worship, an assault because of racial or ethnic backgrounds, or torment because of a person's sexual orientation, it should not be tolerated. There has been a considerable increase, yet most cases have not been reported. That is why I believe that our future mayor should encourage the people into valuing other's ethnicities, whether by an increase in multiple community outreach programs, or by having the many communities come together, instead of the way that they are now, which is separated. The respect that this would promote will definitely increase tolerance, and decrease the rate of hate crimes that people experience just for being different.

In conclusion, I truly find that my future mayor should do anything in their power to decrease crime in Toronto. This would ensure that the voters of today and tomorrow will have the sense of a safe and reliable justice system. Also, specifically targeting youth and hate crimes will not only be the foundation for a more peaceful and successful future, but make the citizens of this proud city feel that they are valued beyond compare. This is because this opportunity has long ago presented itself as the only way to set an example for the generations to come, and it is something that I want to see enforced and taken seriously in my municipal government.

Julie Harmgardt

Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen. My name is Julie Harmgardt and I'm sixteen years old. And, the last time I checked that meant I was too young to vote. But, that doesn't mean I'm too young to care. First, I want to let you in on a little secret. In case you haven't already guessed, I'm not a world famous chef. Actually I'm not even very good at cooking. I'm just your typical grade 11 teenager. So that may lead you to wonder why I'm here to share a recipe with you. Bear with me, and you'll soon understand. It's not a secret recipe or anything. Actually, it's been widely publicized in communities all across Canada. And, don't worry, it's not full of those exotic ingredients you never seem to have. In fact, I'm sure you have them all within arm's reach. Now pay close attention, here we go:

Thousands of Oakville children
One high definition TV
Five new release movies
Six popular video games
One, 2 GB computer
One high-speed Internet connection
One cell phone with unlimited evenings and weekends

Combine all of the ingredients for many years, until thoroughly mixed. Cook on a back burner for several more. Voila! There you have it, the recipe for overweight, under-active Oakville youth, whose focus on technology and lack of exercise leads to obesity, health risks, poor sleep habits, falling grades and even an increase in crime rates.

Sounds frightening doesn't it? Well, that's why something must be done! As Mayor, I'm imploring you, put a plan in action today, so that Oakville's young people won't fall victim to this terrible fate. Nowadays, everyone is preaching the importance of exercise in reducing anxiety, and depression; acknowledging that physical activity increases self-esteem and academic performance. Blah, blah, blah... tell me something I haven't heard! Do you realize that upon graduation, students have spent more time in front of a TV screen than in a classroom?

Oakville should implement a program that would allow free recreational access for youth up to the age of 21. Now I'm not just talking about the regular swimming pool, skating rink, and fitness centre. It's time for a little innovative thinking; after all it is the 21st century! Youth all across Canada think their community is boring! So why not offer Oakvillians something new and exciting? A wave pool or a glow in the dark ultimate Frisbee league would be fun. Or perhaps an archery facility for budding Robin Hoods or an indoor cycling track for wannabe Lance Armstrongs. Complex obstacle courses would surely make youth take up the "Survivor" challenge.

Still skeptical? Listen to these stats:

Forty-eight percent of Canadian kids, aged 8 to 15, have their own TV and thirty-five percent have their own VCR. Twenty-six percent have their own computer hooked up to the Internet. And twenty-two percent have their own cell phones by grade 10. Depressing, don't you think?

So, Mayor, the future health and emotional well-being of Oakville's youth is in your hands. Will you and council send us on a path of inactivity and boredom? Or can we count on Oakville to focus on the needs of its young citizens? And, in closing, remember this scary thought... one day we'll all be old enough to vote.

Joseph Singh

Whenever you hear a decision-maker or someone of relative importance speak about youth, most of them have the same comment: that we must invest in youth because they are our future. This saying, in my opinion, is highly inaccurate. Youth are not the future; youth are the present. Youth are the population that is changing the world; a global movement that is striving to make a difference. Margaret Atwood said, "I never understood why people consider youth a time of freedom and joy. It's probably because they have forgotten their own."

Toronto is such a diverse city in every sense of the word. Not only is Toronto diverse in terms of culture, but also in terms of opportunity. It is a city of so much hope for many, yet it is a city of despair for others. Our next mayor must make it a priority to invest in youth in our city. Our main problem lies in dealing with youth living in so-called at-risk neighbourhoods. These communities, which are said to be the root causes for guns and gangs in Toronto, are communities that have been built with little or no support and services specifically in areas with high concentrations of social housing. An elected city council and mayor in Toronto must ensure that support services and programs for people living in low-income communities are created to service the needs of each community. This means empowering youth through leadership, sports and homework help programs after school and also through creating employment opportunities in partnership with trade unions. We must have quality guidance councillors in each school to ensure that youth are on the right path in their education. I also feel that in this day and age, in this competitive generation, we cannot afford to turn away qualified students from university because of their economic situation. In addition to this, we must give adults, parents, the opportunity to break the cycle of poverty through employment and job skills training and importantly for immigrants, through language and job retraining programs. As we all know, most immigrants living at or below the poverty line were professionals in their native country.

Through allowing families to exit the cycle of poverty, we empower youth. In providing positive alternatives for youth, we give them hope, the lack of which causes violence. If we give youth the opportunity to succeed and accomplish their dreams, we give them hope that they can aspire to whatever they want to be. In order for our next mayor to have success in these endeavours, he/she needs to be a leader. He/she should be able to lead and unify city council on pressing issues such as funding programs in at-risk communities. Our next mayor needs to be an even better listener than he/she is a speaker. That person needs to be able to listen to all citizens, especially youth, not only those eligible to vote for them.

It is often said that "It takes a village to raise a child." This saying can be no more appropriate for this issue. In order to give youth a real chance at success, it requires the partnership of all the parts in a community. A politician who realizes this would prove to be a great mayor for an even greater city.

Thank you.

The appreciation of the meeting was expressed by Catherine S. Swift, President and CEO, Canadian Federation of Independent Business, and First Vice-President and President-Elect, The Empire Club of Canada.