Informed participation in local elections is important for democracy. Citizens should understand key issues and candidates' positions. Some issues in municipal and school board elections include funding priorities and needs in the community. It is crucial for voters to identify credible sources of information about issues and candidates' solutions to make an informed choice that reflects their vision for the community's future.

1. Big Idea:
Informed participation in local government both stimulates and upholds the principles of
democracy.
Essential Question:
What are the characteristics of an informed Canadian citizen participating in a municipal election or
school board election?
Election Issues in Your Municipality & School Board
Knowledge of local municipal or education issues and candidates’ proposed solutions to these
issues is crucial for identifying which candidate best reflects a personal vision for the community’s
future.
Hook 5-10 min.
Using the provided resources, describe the importance of credibility, source, and bias when
collecting information about election issues.
Essential Learning 30-40 min.
1. Define the term “issue,” and discuss the importance of issues during an election. Propose how
elections might be decided if there were no issues to discuss.
2. Using Handout 5.1 and the resources provided by your teacher, highlight potential issues in the
upcoming municipal and school board elections in your community. Identify patterns in the
issues you discover in order to summarize the election issues for both campaigns.
3. Revisit the resources provided, and identify the most credible sources of information regarding
each of the issues that you listed, keeping in mind the source and possible bias of each
resource. What additional questions do you have about each issue? Brainstorm possible
sources of information that could help you to answer your questions about a particular issue.
4. From this set of activities, review what you have discussed and learned about understanding
election issues.
Extended Learning 20-30 min.
Option A:
Over the course of the municipal and school board election campaigns, add personally significant
news articles and campaign materials to your portfolio. Using Handout 5.2, briefly describe the
information acquired from each item and how this information has added to your understanding of
a particular issue. Use this collection of election news to identify at least two election issues that
are most important to you.
Option B:
Invite a panel of involved members of your community (ex. school council members, Block Parent
representatives, seniors’ residence representatives, athletics conveners, homeowners’ association
president, spiritual leaders) to visit your class or walk with your class through your school or
community to highlight needs for the municipality or school board. Compile the information you
take from the meeting and share the results in a creative, unbiased format that can be viewed by
members of the public.
Option C:
Evaluate the amount of news coverage that is being regularly dedicated to the municipal and
school board election campaigns in your community or to a local election issue of personal
significance. If a news provider or community group is providing valuable coverage of the
elections, compose a letter commending the provider. If a news provider or community group is

2. providing sporadic or biased coverage of the elections, compose a letter criticizing the source and
offering suggestions for improving coverage of the elections.
Option D:
Select an election issue of personal significance, and list the groups of people in your community
who will be affected by the resolution of the issue. (ex. Library funding) Using Handout 5.3, briefly
describe how a particular solution would affect each of the different groups, (ex. Decreasing library
funding: tax payers would see reduction in taxes; library goers would experience reduced hours;
librarian jobs might be reduced; empty library parking lot available for neighbourhood road hockey
club) and use this information to defend whether you believe this is an appropriate course of action
to take regarding this issue. Consider using this exercise to examine the campaign promises of a
particular candidate or to examine how your own proposal would affect your community.
Key Terms
analysis; bias; credibility; fact; issue; opinion; point of view; significance; source; wedge issue
Essential Questions
What are the issues in my community?
Where can I get reliable information about these issues?
What issues am I concerned about?
Teacher Preparation
Locate and prepare class appropriate examples of advertising using celebrities to highlight concept
of credibility for hook activity
Locate and prepare class appropriate examples of advertising using the approval of a professional
association (ex. chewing gum approved by the Canadian Dental Association) to highlight concept of
source for hook activity
Locate and prepare class appropriate examples of wireless provider claims advertising the best,
fastest, or most reliable network to highlight the concept of bias for hook activity
Locate and prepare class appropriate examples of local election material for hook activity
Select teaching strategies for essential learning activities
Locate local news articles, campaign materials, web and print commentary about the municipal and
school board elections in your community for essential learning activities (see chapter on Additional
Resources for links to Ontario school boards and municipalities and to Google Alerts)
Make class copies of required handouts
Organize meeting with members of community, if desired
Book computer lab, if desired
Preview websites to be used for class activities, if desired (see chapter on Additional Resources)
Assessment
Students should provide evidence that they have the ability to identify and articulate election
issues of local importance and that they have the ability to critically analyze information in order to
develop an informed, multifaceted view of election issues.

3. Handout 5.1: Discovering Key Election Issues
Using the news and campaign resources provided by your teacher, highlight potential issues in the
upcoming municipal and school board elections in your community. Identify patterns in the issues
you discover in order to summarize the election issues for both campaigns.
Election Article Title & Important Key Ideas &
Municipal / School Source Information Potential Issues
Board

4. Handout 5.2: New Information About My Important Election Issues
Select an election article and briefly describe the information that you have acquired from this
article and how this information has added to your understanding of an election issue that is
important to you.
Title of Article:
Author of Article: Source of Article:
Pages Read: Purpose for Reading:
Most Important Ideas and Information Least Important Ideas and Information
Key Idea from This Article:
This article has added to my understanding of the election because…

5. Handout 5.3: Perspectives on an Election Issue
Select an election issue of personal significance, and list the groups of people in your community
who will be affected by the resolution of the issue. Propose a solution to the election issue and
briefly describe how a particular solution would affect each of the different groups, and use this
information to defend whether you believe this is an appropriate course of action to take regarding
this issue.
Election Issue: Proposed Solution:
Citizen Groups in the Community How Groups are Affected By Proposal
I think that this IS / IS NOT an appropriate solution for my community because…