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A co-owner of Binesiwag Center for Wellness, an area mental health and addictions organization, is one of the candidates seeking a seat on Fort Frances council.

This is Mandi Olson’s first foray into municipal politics.

She says she had been thinking about running more than a eighteen months ago.

“It was through a conversation with the community member, and we were talking about some of the issues of that time. I guess it’s sparked my interest, and I said, you know, I think it’d be interesting in running for the elections and creating some change in the community. So I took that and took that opportunity to really just share with that person about what my thoughts were and really see what their thoughts were to around the community I guess today and where they wanted to go in the future.”

Olson says governance is not all that unfamiliar to her.

She was recently appointed to the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers Council, with oversees the College.

While being a newcomer to the municipal arena, Olson feels she has a lot to offer.

“I think the first one is my motivation and that’s fueled by my perseverance to make our community different. I want to empower the people in our community but also really look at all of these challenges that we’re experiencing are actually opportunities and they might be missed opportunities or opportunities that we just haven’t had a chance to approach yet,” says Olson.

She also feels her education as a social worker can also be an assist as the town deals with some of the social issues impacting the community.

She looks at being a newcomer to politics as an important asset as well.

“Yes, I’m young, and I’m new to this and new to the game of governance, but I think that’s the opportunity with it. We have a chance to do something different and also change the existing systems to kind of meet our community where it’s at right now.”