Grade 10 and 12 students from Lakes District Secondary School paid close attention to a Village of Burns Lake council meeting last week so that they could learn as much as possible about the local government.
After the council meeting, the 13 students sat around the table with council to share a meal and ask questions about council and elections. Council also had the opportunity to gather feedback from students on a number of topics such as the need to shop more locally, what facilities are currently missing and if Burns Lake should become a town.
The following day, students held mock elections and enacted a mock council meeting.
This initiative is called ‘project local government’ and it was developed by School District No. 91 (Nechako Lakes) and the Village of Burns Lake. The project is now in its sixth year.