Politics ... it's a family affair

Thousands of people across the province are taking advantage of the new Family Day holiday by skating, skiing, sliding, or taking in a movie as family unit and the Vrebosch is no exception but their Family Day has a different twist … plotting their political futures.

This week three members of the Vrebosch family announced at Gravelle’s Meat Market that they will be seeking seats in a municipal election in their respective cities this October.

Bill Vrebosch is seeking re-election as East Ferris mayor while, his daughter Tanya Vrebosch-Merry will seek re-election as councillor in North Bay and her brother Bill Jr. is taking his first stab at politics by running for a seat in the city of Toronto.

The seasoned politician says it makes him proud to see his children stepping up and getting involved but it comes as no surprise.

“More than proud,” states Bill Senior.

“I always knew one of them or at least one of them would get into politics because that's what we do.”

“All my children are the same including Giselle (my wife) we've been stuffing mailboxes together since the kids could crawl out a window and reach the mailbox. These two (Bill Jr. and Tanya) especially they used to come with me to conferences, they are the youngest two, and we'd get them in there and they'd sometimes get into the conferences and be sitting amongst different mayors and reeves and they listened. And you could actually carry on a conversation with them when they were about 10-11 years old and they knew what they were talking about, so I knew they would get into it.”

The East Ferris Mayor expected his son to jump in the last municipal election and was pleasantly surprised when his youngest emerged the runner.

“Tanya went to Toronto and said I'm not living down here, I think I can live and work in North Bay so I'm going back home … I said what are you going to do and she said I'm going to run for council and make sure that other people can do the same thing, so I said that's great.”






The clan never makes a move without first surveying what the family thinks and politics is no different.

“For me I'm very proud … it's a family thing for us.”

“I registered for mayor this week but not before Giselle and I sat down and talked, and that is what we do as a family. Bill phoned up and said we'll all back you, Tanya phones up says we'll all back you, so that's what we do.”

He also says that although they talk as a family they don't always agree especially when it comes to political views and issues.

“As they get older they fight back more,” he laughs.

“I used to be the supreme being and be able to place my will onto them now they're knowledgeable and fighting back but all of it comes out as a family affair.”

“We do things for the good of people … I've tried to instill in them be honest. Make sure people know that you can't maybe solve all the problems but you can listen.”