The Timmins' mayor’s family is growing.
Michelle Boileau announced today that she is pregnant and will be taking parental leave later this year under the city’s pregnancy and parental leave policy. She is the third female mayor in the city and the first to announce a pregnancy while in office.
“It is significant because it is a first, but women have been having babies for a long time,” said Boileau. “I see this as just a woman doing what women do, having a baby while holding down a job.”
Boileau was a city councillor when she had her first child, who will be four years old next month, but she says this experience is shaping up a little differently.
“The last time I made use of this policy, it was also during the COVID-19 pandemic, so I was able to participate in meetings a little longer than expected because we were holding them virtually,” she said. “So this will be new to me and I think that my perspective may change.”
The city’s pregnancy and parental leave policy for council members, Boileau can be absent from 20 council meetings and request an extension if there is a need for more time off.
“At this time, if all goes well, I will take just a five-month maternity leave, which is anticipated to start in late September or early October,” she said.
In Timmins there is no elected deputy mayor.
When the mayor is not able to chair a meeting, a list created at the start of the council term determines what councillor will step in when the mayor is absent.
The councillors who are on the roster during the expected leave are Cory Robin and Andrew Marks.
Boileau said that her leave will not impede the council's plans or change its priorities moving forward, including housing and homelessness.
“I have full confidence in the both of them and the rest of our council to continue the important work of servicing our community,” said Boileau. “Over the coming months, I will continue to focus my attention on priorities such as housing and homelessness, renewing our infrastructure, advancing economic development, and so much more.”
She said that a shorter leave feels appropriate at this stage of her career. She took seven months maternity leave after the birth of her daughter.
“I feel a shorter leave, in this case, will ensure necessary bonding time while also ensuring continuity in leadership,” said Boileau.
She said her family is looking forward to the new addition.
“Everyone’s excited, my daughter’s excited to have a sibling on the way, and of course, our parents are ecstatic,” she said. “Now it’s just trying to prepare as much as possible as any other family would.”
