Our Mission
Elect More Women
We’ve built a community to support women candidates for municipal elections in Northern Ontario. We aim to have more women run for elected positions in the North than ever. We can’t do that alone.
That’s where you come in.
Engaging in this project is simple: support the women in your life seeking public office. You can do this by asking a woman you believe in to run for a ward; supporting a woman as she runs for municipal council; joining us during our training sessions or accessing our webinars; donating to our organization so that we can continue to provide women candidates with resources and tools that they need, or liking our social media accounts and sharing our message with your friends.
Statistics show that even having one woman on a municipal council can change the council’s perspective.
Now, imagine what having parity would do.
THAT’S WHERE WE COME IN.
We run campaigns aimed at facilitating the entry of interested women into politics. We provide training and run campaign schools, connect candidates with supporters, and hold events for women to connect and come together.
Our goal is to ensure that every woman who has ever dreamed of running for a political position feels supported every step of the way.
- Stacy Sathaseevan, 2022 Greater Sudury School Board Trustee Candidate
The Facts
Women only hold 31% of municipal council seats.
We have 9 cities in northern Ontario. Those cities have 85 available city council positions. Women only hold 26 of these seats. Timmins is the only city to have elected a woman mayor.
These results are current as of November 2022.
How Our Cities Compare
THE PERCENTAGE OF WOMEN ON CITY COUNCILS IN NORTHERN ONTARIO'S CITIES
Explore women's political participation in Northern Ontario and beyond through our research. Discover insightful data and analysis on women's representation and leadership, the barriers they face, and the strategies to overcome them. Our research empowers women to take action, advocates for gender equality in politics, and contributes to shaping policies and practices that promote women's political engagement.
Our Impact
Since 2017, PoliticsNOW has empowered and supported women to become leaders in communities across Northern Ontario. We run various programs aimed at equipping women with the tools they need to be successful leaders in their communities.
EngageNOW
We use social media to raise awareness about gender inequality in Northern Ontario municipal councils. Our three campaigns include EngageNOW, which highlights women's history in municipal politics in the North, When Women Are Legislators, which showcases women's impact on politics, and Election Reviews, which analyzes the state of women in Northern Ontario politics post-election. We research women's past and future in Northern Ontario politics and share our findings nationwide.
InspireNOW
We amplify the voices of inspiring women in our community through a speaker series featuring community leaders and change-makers. With so many inspiring women in our communities, we created a unique opportunity to come together and learn from them. We listen to their stories, courage, successes, and tenacity and get inspired. We also provide a supportive network for women to connect and collaborate with each other, empowering them to achieve their goals and positively impact the community.
She’s On Board
We partnered with She&Her for a new and fantastic venture training the next generation of female leaders in governance.
She’s On Board is a free, one-day workshop led by the city’s most experienced female leaders to equip women to become more comfortable with governance and public policy. This workshop offers tangible, inclusive and hands-on training. After two cohorts, we have trained over 60 women and connected dozens more to open board positions across the Greater Sudbury region. The third cohort is coming soon!
ElectNOW
In 2018, we tracked 26 women candidates and their campaigns, offering support through bootcamps, surveys, and webinars. We became invested in their success and saw 11 of those women elected. In 2022, we expanded our efforts and supported 60 campaigns, seeing over 40 women elected to various positions. In addition to tracking and supporting campaigns, we provided resources and mentorship to help women navigate the challenges of running for office. These women are changing the face of politics in Northern Ontario, and we are proud to have played a role in their success.
The webinars kept me focused. They gave me the confidence to stand shoulder to shoulder with the other candidates and energized me to keep the momentum going until the end.
Johanne Brousseau, North Bay Municipal Councillor
Training next-gen leaders
We offer seminars and webinars to give women the tools to run for municipal office — and win!
With programs like our Campaign Power Hour and our signature Run For Office bootcamps and webinars, we give women candidates a crash course in running for municipal office. We’re also connecting women from across the country in our Alumnae group so that guidance and support are always a click away.
How To Run For Office
We’re giving women all of the tools that they need to make a run for municipal office.
We’ve created a library of resources that candidates can access on their political journey. We’ve created workbooks, templates and resources that help equip women running for municipal office. From the very beginning dreams of the campaign to the waning days of Get Out the Vote, we’ve got you covered.
You have what it takes to lead.
