Cochrane history was made last week, when Susan Nelson was sworn in as a town councillor.
She is the first Indigenous woman to sit on Cochrane council.
Public Library archivist Ardis Proulx-Chedore has more.
“This is a milestone for the people of Treaty 9 territory in Cochrane and a great step toward reconciliation. Cochrane previously had reached the milestone of having the first Indigenous Mayor, Juno Award winner Lawrence Martin in 2003.”
Martin was previously mayor of Sioux Lookout – from 1991 to 1994 – the first Indigenous mayor of a municipality that wasn’t a First Nations reserve.
Proulx-Chedore has details on more connections between Martin and Nelson.
“Lawrence Martin came to Cochrane to be the executive director of the Ininew Friendship Centre. Susan Nelson currently holds that position. Fun fact, Ancestry proved that these two are cousins!”
As always, we are grateful for the library allowing us access to the archives for our weekly feature.
