James Bowler

2026 Municipal Election Candidate, Town of Huntsville – Town and District Council

Jame’s Story:

  1. What first sparked your interest in becoming involved in municipal politics, and what led you to where you are today?

I moved to Muskoka 11 years ago to work as a reporter for MooseFM, and one of the first things I had to do was educate myself on municipal politics, since my previous job had required me to focus mostly on crime and courts. Within my first year, I had learned about many of the processes councillors work through within the walls of the council chamber. Since then, I attended meetings in other council chambers, built relationships with councillors and staff members, and started developing my own ideas about what worked and what could be improved based on my perspective and growing knowledge.

From there, I started having conversations with municipal officials and asking more questions, not just as part of my job, but because I was genuinely curious about why certain decisions were made and policies were put in place. It was just over a year ago that I realized I didn’t just want to be attending the meetings, asking questions and reporting on them. I wanted to add my voice to them.

So last summer, I talked with my family and came to the decision that I would run in this upcoming election as a District Councillor candidate. I knew the issues I wanted to focus on (housing, social services and better governance just to name a few) weren’t just at the ward level.

  1. Were there particular experiences, people or moments along the way that helped shape your decision to run for municipal office?

There are two parts to this. I have several people, all current or former councillors and mayors, that I was able to build relationships with over the course of my reporting career in Muskoka.

Our current MPP, Graydon Smith, was a really special connection for me. He helped me understand a lot of the politics in the municipal sphere and was never judgemental when I had questions or didn’t fully understand something.

Tatianna Sutherland, a District Councillor in Bracebridge, gave me the courage to make this run. She ran for District Council for the first time four years ago and was successful because she had a passion to make change in her community.

Finally, Scott Morrison has been one of my biggest supporters. He was the first person I talked to when I was considering running in early 2025, and he was excited about the idea and helped me fully decide that District was the right route for me.

The other part of this is more personal. In December of 2024, I lost my mother to an aggressive form of breast cancer. It was fast and horrible, and it led to a significant change in how I looked at my own future. I don’t talk about this part of my life lightly, but it’s important to add it, because it’s a big part of the decisions I’ve made to get here.

After she passed away, I decided I wanted to take a chance on myself and leave my job and financial stability to try a run at this opportunity, because I knew that I had a lot of ideas about how to better support the community I’d come to love. And I knew that even though it was risky, my mother would want me to do this for myself.

  1. What does being part of the Muskoka community mean to you personally?

Being a good neighbour.

When I moved here in 2015, the first thing I did was sign up with Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Muskoka. I’m still connected to the Little Brother I was matched with to this day. He’s in university in Sudbury now, and I’m incredibly proud of him.

I then joined the BBBS Board and was eventually elected Chair. I joined Muskoka Family Focus’s Board, the Muskoka Parry Sound Sexual Assault Services Board, the Mind-Aid Board and took over as Chair, and most recently, I joined the Algonquin Family Health Team Board.

I don’t list those organizations as a resume of accomplishments. I joined these services long before I ever considered running for office. The point I’m making is that in order to be a good neighbour, you have to be willing to give back to the community you’re a part of.

I’ve lived in Muskoka for 11 years, and I don’t see myself moving anywhere else at this point. I want to continue to elevate the community by continuing to be a good neighbour in my own way.

  1. What do you find most rewarding about contributing to your community, and what motivates you to continue doing so?

I like seeing the positive impacts my involvement has made.

One of the things I like to say about my involvement in a lot of the organizations I’m a part of is that, when I die, I don’t care about my name being remembered. I care about the ripple effects of the positive impacts I’ve had.

I’ve already seen those impacts through the time I’ve spent volunteering. I’ve especially seen them through the reporting I’ve done within this community for the last 11 years.

So my motivation is simply to leave this earth, whenever that happens, knowing I made a difference that made life better for the people who came after me.

  1. Is there anything else you’d like people to know about you, your journey, or the experiences that have shaped who you are today?

Everything I do is with others in mind. This was something that was heavily instilled in me by both of my parents.

My father was a family physician for over 40 years in Trenton, and he worked hard. I remember hearing him showering at 5 in the morning some days, and then he wouldn’t be home until close to 7. He did it for us, his family, but he also did it to support his community. By the end of his career, he had taken on thousands more patients than he probably should have, and he’d left a legacy of kindness and respect.

Whenever I was out with him, people would stop him and thank him or talk about their lives with him, and he listened and heard them. I grew up knowing that people just want to be listened to and respected.

That’s something I’ve carried with me throughout my life and my career as a reporter. When I make decisions, like my decision to run for District Council in Huntsville, I do it thinking, how can this benefit the people around me?

I want to give back to the community that I’ve fallen in love with by supporting it.

To connect with James Bowler or learn more about his campaign, contact him at: james.p.bowler@live.com