Residents of Dieppe, N.B., are headed back to the polls – not to elect a government, but to decide how to spend $300,000.
The community is voting on how to spend $300,000 in the city's participatory budgeting project and for the first time the vote is being extended to youth as young as 11 years old.
“Engaging youth early, you provide them with an authentic opportunity to participate and contribute to the quality of life,” Luc Richard, organizational performance director.
Back in 2012, Dieppe City Council decided they wanted to engage the public in community initiatives. A steering committee recommended the inclusion of the youth voice.
“I think it's great and finally the city of Dieppe are putting money toward new projects,” says one resident.
“For once we get the choice to change something about the community,” says another.
There are 19 projects to choose from and they can be found on the city's website.
When voting, residents will be asked to rank their top five choices in order of priority.
The climbing wall project at the Dieppe Boys and Girls Club made the short list of possible recipients of the municipal funding. Bob Hebert, the clubs executive director, is all for letting the youth participate in decisions that affect them.
“The project we have here, the climbing wall is not something that our board of directors came up with. This is a project the kids came up with going back 18 months ago,” says Hebert.
In addition to online voting, residents can cast their votes at the Dieppe City Market, at City Hall and at the aquatic centre.
Voting begins Friday and runs through to Dec. 5. The city will announce the winners Dec. 10.
With files from CTV Atlantic's Jonathan MacInnis
