'Community isn’t just shaped by the adults': Oakville teen running for mayor
For 19-year-old Jack Kukolic, Monday will be the first municipal election in which he's able to cast a ballot.
It will also be the first time the Oakville teen has ever voted for himself.
Kukolic is running for mayor of Oakville, and if elected, he would be the youngest mayor in the province – but notoriety isn’t what inspired him to run.
“I ran because I saw that in the last municipal election only 37 per cent of eligible Oakville voters voted,” Kukolic told CTV News, “and 82 per cent of those [eligible voters] 18-25 did not vote.”
Along with the issues, Kukolic’s campaign has attempted to draw attention to the election itself, through a series of TikTok videos. In them, the teen explains everything from how to run to how to vote.
“I think having a younger candidate running lets them see that politics is not just this big scary thing that you see on the news – it’s an important process that you can get involved in.”
Kukolic is one of three candidates running to be mayor in Oakville. For the other two, it’s a rematch of the 2018 campaign with business leader Julia Hanna running against the incumbent Rob Burton.
Speaking to voters in Oakville’s downtown, Kukolic is offered best wishes by a number of voters, some of whom have already cast their ballot.
“It’s been really surprising,” Kukolic said, “I’ve had a lot of adults come and tell me that they are in involved in politics but are interested in the federal and provincial level – they vote in the federal and provincial levels but up until this point they’ve kind of just ignored the municipal level.”
The Sheridan College student, who runs his own photography/videography company, says he hopes voter turnout will be higher on Monday than it was in the last municipal election.
He also says, win or lose, this is just the beginning of his involvement with the city he calls home.
“This community isn’t just shaped by the adults, it's shaped by everyone and as I always say elections are for everyone, so I want everyone to go out and make an informed choice and just have a voice in their community.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Hackers release corporate data stolen from London Drugs
Retailer London Drugs says cybercriminals who stole files from its corporate head office last month have released some of the data after it refused to pay a ransom.
Toronto man falls off his chair after seeing $70M Lotto Max win in his bank account
A Toronto man who won $70 million in a recent Lotto Max draw literally fell off his chair when he saw the funds in his bank account.
Montreal-area high school students protest 'sexist' dress code
Approximately 50 Montreal-area students — the vast majority of them female — were suspended Wednesday after their school deemed the shorts they were wearing were too short. On Thursday, several students staged a walk-out to protest what they believe is a "sexist" dress code that unfairly targets girls.
McDavid scores in 2OT to lift Oilers over Stars in West Final opener
Connor McDavid tipped Evan Bouchard's shot from the boards past Dallas Stars goalie Jake Oettinger 32 seconds into the second overtime to give the Edmonton Oilers a 3-2 win in Game 1 of the Western Conference Final..
'Looking over our shoulders': A killing looms large in a little B.C. town
Something shifted in the pretty little village of Lumby, B.C., after Tatjana Stefanski vanished. It used to be the sort of place where parents let their kids roam free or play in the local creek, but everything has changed.
What is 'slapped cheek disease' and should parents be concerned?
Despite its rough name, experts say most cases of 'slapped cheek disease' are mild and not a cause for concern.
American Airlines retreats after blaming a 9-year-old for not seeing a hidden camera in a lavatory
American Airlines has distanced itself from a court filing in which the carrier said a nine-year-old girl should have noticed there was a camera taped to the seat of an airplane lavatory.
Unknown Newfoundland soldier from the First World War heads back home from France after 100 years
Canadian soldiers and government officials arrived in northeastern France this week for a historic mission: returning an unknown Newfoundland soldier back home.
Calgary Philharmonic takes action following investigation into 'deeply troubling' comments by 2 musicians
The Calgary Philharmonic has confirmed its taking action after controversial online comments made by two members of the orchestra.