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Eric Duncan is 28 years old from Winchester, Ontario and was introduced to community service at a very young age. Eric’s family has always been heavily involved in their community, whether through the church, the fire department or their local fair. From the age of 12, Eric remembers getting involved alongside his parents in a variety of different local projects, and he continues to this day with this same dedication to public service. Since he first began getting involved at the age of 12, Eric has sat on roughly 40 different boards and committees. Eric currently sits on 21 different boards and committees.

At the age of 16 Eric began to get more interested in politics and started volunteering for a campaign for a local councillor. When he was 18 there was an opening on Council and, drawing on the experience gained working on this previous campaign, Eric threw his hat in the ring. Having already been involved with council, with an understanding how the local system worked, Eric surprised and impressed many constituents with his ability to intelligently debate and discuss the issues at hand.  Eric was elected to council at 18 years old. Eric later became mayor at 22 years old and is currently serving his second term as Mayor of North Dundas. Further, Eric has been Warden of the United Counties of Stormont Dundas and Glengarry for two years and this year, Eric is also chair of the Eastern Ontario Warden’s Caucus.

Eric has recognized the great opportunity to affect and influence different community betterment projects, stemming from his position as mayor. Eric is particularly proud of some of the accomplishments in economic development in North Dundas. The township has recently hired an economic development officer to help businesses expand and to oversee certain legacy initiatives that will benefit generations to come. Through different grants, they have initiated a community improvement program for revitalizing the downtowns for two local communities and they have worked to update and renew the local arenas and pools.  One major project carried out by the Winchester Downtown Revitalization Committee was the creation of Sweet Corner Park. This project transformed a vacant, gravel lot on the main corner in Winchester into a beautiful park. The project won the Ontario Business Improvement Area Association “safe and healthy community award” in 2012.

Both as Mayor and in his personal time, Eric has been a strong contributor and a valuable asset to his community. His youth and his enthusiasm have been cited by colleagues as a real boost for the local community. Eric is heavily involved (as past president and current executive member) with the Rotary Club in Chesterville and in this role he is often seen at fund raising events throughout the community. Eric spearheads the local Rotary Youth Leadership Awards program (RYLA), a rotary youth leadership event and, alongside a good friend, was instrumental in establishing Camp Erin this past summer. Camp Erin is a bereavement camp for young people in Eastern Ontario, ages 6 – 17, who have experienced a loss in their life.

Camp Erin is important for our community and I’m proud to have contributed to its development. Very often in rural communities we don’t have access to the same kinds of counselling services and people who have the necessary experience working with children who have lost a significant person in their lives.

Camp Erin features grief support and an opportunity for the children to connect through recreational activities and music. Eric was able to enlist other volunteers who were well versed in grief counselling and not only did the children at the camp benefit, but so too did these volunteers.

The local high school recently celebrated a 50th anniversary and Eric was co-chair of the North Dundas District High School 50th reunion weekend celebrations, which raised $20,000 for the school. He continues to be involved with the high school, speaking regularly to classes about civic and governmental issues. Eric was responsible for initiating and promoting an after school recreation program for local youth as he firmly believes in the value of enabling access to healthy recreational programming.

Eric was a founding member of the Nation Valley ATV “Ride for Dad” committee that raises money to support prostate cancer research and awareness. In 2013, Nation Valley ATV Club became the first all-terrain vehicle chapter to start a Ride for Dad rally in Canada. Since then, several clubs have used this model and replicated similar rallies across the country. To date, three very successful local rides have raised over $150,000 for prostate cancer research and awareness.

While Eric has many accomplishments to date, he remains humble and cites the many networks around him as integral to his success, including a group of “second mothers” who have always been there to support his efforts.

More Info: Youth Engagement Showcase

The Youth Engagement Showcase has collected nominations of engaged youth, aged 29 and under, from rural communities across Ontario. Four finalists have been selected to be featured in a short video documentary. The Youth Engagement Showcase will profile some compelling stories of youth engagement to highlight the impact these young leaders can have in their local communities and to demonstrate how rural communities of various shapes and sizes, are successfully engaging and supporting youth in addressing local challenges.