Winona was born in Toronto and raised in an Anishnaabe household. Her adopted mother is a band member of Garden River and her birth mother is Metis (French/Blackfoot). She returned to Sault Ste Marie in 1999. She has a varied work experience, beginning with graduating from Humber College as a Child and Youth Worker in 1989. Since then she has accomplished many things, but to highlight a few: she 5 group homes in government licensing and operations; she held the position of Chair of the Staff Training and Retention Sub-Committee for the Ministry of Community and Social Services; she has experience as the manager of Marks and Assistant Store Manager at both Home Depot and Lowe’s, with experience in both roles of Operations Manager and Specialty Manager in Sault Ste. Marie; she managed a weight-loss and nutrition center which allowed me the necessary experience to cross over to retail from the social services industry; she managed Invitational and Regional Swim Competitions as a Meet Manager. Winona is also a Level IV Referee with Swim Ontario. She is running for Councillor of Ward 3 in Sault Ste Marie.
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Amanda Kingsley Malo tells her story in Flare’s #HowIMadeIt2018.
Read moreEllen Chambers
Ellen Chambers is a retired teacher, local union president and provincial executive member for ETFO. She has received the Thunder Bay Mayor's Local Hero Award, as well as the Humanitarian Award provincially for ETFO for her advocacy for safety of LGBTQ students in schools. She works on social justice committees, such as Diversity Thunder Bay. She was a founding member of SAGE - Sexuality and Gender Equity and was the co-founder and co-chair of Thunder Pride.
Read moreArlene Phillips
Arlene Phillips enjoyed growing up in North Bay, and went to Laurentian University (North Bay and Sudbury). She completed her B.A. at the University of Toronto on a part-time basis while working full-time, so that she could have working experience for when she graduated. She has been with the Ontario Government for a precarious twenty-eight years, working in many cities and in many positions, often as a business analyst. She is a single parent of one amazing human being who has left the nest. With her union, she has developed an activist's voice, working towards things like living minimum wage, fairness and helping others up. Arlene is running for council in North Bay.
Read moreDeborah Swyer-Burke
Deborah Swyer-Burke has been the sole proprietor of a business in Sudbury for 10 years. She has worked with the Food Bank in Ward 7 for almost 6 years. Deborah is also dedicated mother of 2 boys. She feel that now is the right time for her to get involved with her community at a higher level.
Read moreKristen Oliver
A graduate of Fort William Collegiate and Confederation College, Thunder Bay has been home to Kristen Oliver for her entire life. She presently works full-time as the Executive Director of the Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association (NOMA). She oversees the advocacy and lobbying efforts of NOMA and attributes this role as the main driver to seeking office on the municipal level. In 2004, she was employed as Policy Assistant to the Mayor for the City of Thunder Bay and held this position until 2010. Prior to that, she was a constituency assistant to Lyn McLeod, MPP, Thunder Bay - Atikokan. As a dedicated member of her community, she serves as Chair of the Board of Governors for Confederation College and Vice President of Northwood Hockey League.
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