We Vote North Shore is a group of organizations that believe in citizen engagement, including the importance of voting in democratic elections and working to encourage non-partisan voter education and engagement.
The following is a series of personal voting stories leading up to the Oct. 20 municipal elections. To learn more and get involved, visit wevotens.ca.
Voting Story No. 6: Cottingham Powell, Executive Director, North Vancouver Community Arts Council
“My grade 10 social studies teacher was an immigrant from Germany who had fought for the Nazis in the Second World War. He was an 18-year-old soldier doing as he was told and had no idea about the atrocities taking place. After the war, he married and moved to Canada and found out about the horrors of the Third Reich. He was devastated and realized that democracy was a very special right. He told this story to all of his students and encouraged them to get informed and vote. He used to say that as an individual one could have the most influence on local politics and that local government influenced your daily life in profound ways. I will always remember that it is a privilege to be able to vote and I will spend the time to get informed because it’s my responsibility to the kind of community and country I want to live in.”
