Kelly Fettes is running for School Board Trustee for the Lakehead District School Board in Thunder Bay.
Kelly arrived in Northern Ontario in 1988 to attend Lakehead University, and since that time she has called Thunder Bay home. After graduating Lakehead University, Kelly continued her education at Confederation College. She began her career in June of 1994 and has worked in the local travel industry, event coordination and office management. She is very passionate and supportive of local small businesses and the economic growth of the city and region. Kelly believes in giving back to her community, growing healthy teams and lifting up those around her to reach their goals. She has sat on a variety of volunteer boards and committees. As a committed community volunteer and parent, Kelly strives to model leadership and community values for her son.
Why are you running for this position?
Kelly believes she can offer a fresh perspective of a community-minded parent who aims to actively advocate for students and prepare them as they thrive and grow in the Thunder Bay District. Her perspective is an important one in the quest to improve the school experience, making it work for all students, parents, teachers, and partners alike.
For several years, Kelly has volunteered on various types of not-for-profit boards, which have included Little Lions Waldorf Daycare, Leadership Thunder Bay, and most recently, the Thunder Bay Country Market. These commitments have included executive designations (President & Vice-President) as well as Director at large. To Kelly, boards are teams, and she believes that if we live in a community, we need to find ways to help make everyone’s lives better, especially our children’s. Kelly is an active volunteer and strives to make this community better, donating her time to a number of community initiatives.
Currently, Kelly is employed as an Administrative Officer at Lakehead University, where she utilizes her superior skills in staff, client and stakeholder relationships and provides her expertise in administrative procedures and protocols. Kelly’s current work, past board governance, and community service experience, combined with her passion for making positive change for the youth who are the future of Northwestern Ontario, make her a winning candidate for the role of School Trustee.
What innovative projects would enhance life in your municipality?
I would like to see the creation of more youth advisory groups (of all ages) to discuss their thoughts and ideas on what multiple initiatives would be of interest to youth in our community. This list may include ideas around types of indoor/outdoor physical activities to the arts, including music, theatre, story writing, photography, paint, etc. to life experience activities such as cooking and food knowledge, simple accounting, to coding or STEM experiences to prepare them for a future career. Life is changing so fast for our youth today, and asking them to identify what interests them may be a key to keeping them engaged and active
If you received a $1 million grant to use for your municipality any way you wanted, what would you do with it?
One million dollars doesn’t go as far as one would think these days but investing in elementary youth culinary programs would be a start to teaching food basics, including food preparation, ingredients (local growing and farming practices), health and wellness, as well as life skills at an early age. With our schools made up of many diverse backgrounds, students would have opportunities to learn about the food culture backgrounds of their peers. The one common language we all speak is food. It nourishes the body and helps our brains and bodies grow. In today’s world, families are made up of many dynamics, and young people are relied upon to help more around the home, this includes meal prep, kitchen cleaning and safe practices. It is said, “the kitchen is the heart of the home”, let’s help educate our youth of all ages on the proper ways of enjoyment of being in the kitchen.
What do you think are the greatest challenges your municipality faces?
Our community is facing several social, and economic challenges, three of the challenges include an increased rate of homelessness, high crime rates and the continuing high costs of housing and maintaining a home.
Other than the official ways of communicating (minutes, municipal notes), how else will you reach out to your constituents to involve them in the decision making process?
Working with a school board’s communications department on a campaign of how to get more parents to participate in their child’s schools. Updates, newsletters, policies, and procedures are key when keeping up to date with your child’s educational experience. Communication between parents, teachers, and students will make decision-making processes clearer and more beneficial to the student, who the Board Trustees are responsible for advocating for.
What is your favourite thing to do in your municipality?
I have lived in Thunder Bay for over 34 years and have always enjoyed what our outdoors has to offer to all ages and families. This summer, I discovered the joys of our local running, hiking and biking trails. These trails are truly an amazing source of nature and exercise and an excellent place to find solitude for the soul.
Why do you think it’s important for women to be represented in civic leadership, including on committees, boards and municipal councils?
It is important for women to be represented at all levels of leadership, and we all have a role to play in taking on new opportunities. Challenging ourselves to share, give, or do more in our community is an important action, whether on a volunteer level or advancing one’s career. The female perspective is an important part of creating an equitable society. Women are poorly represented in all levels of politics. We need to learn to lift each other up and encourage each other to take on new challenges.
What does a ‘feminist city’ mean to you?
I believe in equality for both sexes, but I also believe it goes beyond “sex” and includes different gender identities, cultures and backgrounds. It means we strive to create a more diverse community in which we can all live, work, volunteer and play and where we all feel safe in our community. A city in which we can feel free of discrimination to discuss real-life issues, make changes to policies or guidelines when necessary and advocate for all students regardless of age, race, ethnicity, creed, nationality, sexual orientation or personal circumstance. I believe in equal opportunities for all genders.
Please identify the most critical policy, project, or initiative in your platform that addresses systemic barriers faced by women in your municipality, and describe why:
An initiative to continue to reduce harmful gender roles and stereotypes by educating our young girls and young women on the importance of their value and voice as a person. It is important to continue to offer and enhance STEM and extra-curricular activities and programs for young girls and young women, to give them the tools and confidence they need to enhance their future goals.
Where can people find you?
TBPL - Candidate Debates
