Every week, the Timmins Kinette Club is celebrating women in the community with its Modern-Day Rosie initiative. The campaign honours women who are innovators, volunteers, freelancers, entrepreneurs and visionaries empowering other women. TimminsToday has partnered with the club to introduce our readers to the inspiring local leaders. To submit a nomination, email [email protected].
Today's Modern-Day Rosie is Michelle Boileau.
Michelle Boileau busy mother, the Manager of Employment & Settlement Services for Collège Boréal, and a municipal councillor in the City of Timmins. She is a passionate leader on many volunteer boards including Cochrane District Social Planning Council, Centre culturel La Ronde, Centre de santé communautaire de Timmins, and many others with social justice and multicultural portfolios.
Michelle always desired to be a part of municipal politics and wanted to make a positive change in this area. She believes and feels that there are many impressive people working for her community, making it a great place for all of the citizens to live.
“There are so many fabulous examples of female leadership in our community. Women are the pulse of our community, and I get to witness it every day. In my role as city councillor and board director, I have the privilege to sit alongside some truly inspiring women who head our most cherished community institutions. Like me, they see the good in people and the potential in our community.”
Michelle’s vision is to encourage girls to have big aspirations and assist them in achieving their goals. “I have also always been inspired by children. The notion that children are the leaders of tomorrow is something I feel strongly, and it pushes me to try to make a difference in the world every day for their sakes.”
When asked about her role models, Michelle shared: “I have had many female role models in my life. We are a lot of women in my family, so I’ve always been surrounded by strong female examples from whom I learned. My mother taught me good work ethic, and my sisters taught me how to be true to myself.
I am also so grateful to the women who came before me, who paved the way and gave me a voice. I can appreciate that I grew up in a good time to be a woman. As a little girl, I got to see women claim their space in prominent position.
Unsurprisingly, I developed an interest in history and politics at a pretty young age and I distinctly remember thinking it was ‘so cool’ that the Governor General of Canada at the time (Adrienne Clarkson) was a woman. As you could imagine, I thought it was especially ‘cool’ that she would be succeeded by another woman (Michaëlle Jean). Strong female role models were ever-present in society ... I know this isn’t the case for all girls growing up in the world today, and it shouldn’t be taken for granted.”
Thank you for being an active role model for youth in our City and for helping to create spaces where they can thrive and succeed!
