Kristin Murray makes history as first person of colour to be mayor of Timmins

Timmins has a new mayor -- and she's the first person of colour to hold the seat. Kristin Murray has been appointed to take over the mayor's office until the upcoming election.

Although Murray will only be in charge for a couple months, she's determined to make her mark on the city.

"It's exciting because I think being in the mayor's seat, you get to see a different aspect of the city that you don't necessarily get to see when you're a councillor," she said.

"There's opportunities and I'm really looking forward to kind of getting my hands right in there and doing great things."

As deputy mayor, council tapped Murray to carry out the rest of the mayoral term until the October municipal election.

It's a historic moment for the city because on top of being the city's first black and Indigenous city councillor, Murray is the first person of colour to serve as mayor.

George Pirie, the outgoing mayor who is now a provincial cabinet minister, said Murray's appointment sends an important message.

"It encourages every single individual that might come from the Indigenous community or any other racialized community, that Timmins is a great place," Pirie said.

"It's a welcoming place, it's open. It respects the diversity and, in fact, it encourages diversity."

The local multicultural society said as the city becomes more diverse, people of different ethnicities are engaging in city life. Murray could inspire others to enter politics.

"It's wonderful to have this fresh perspective and there's so much more that I'm sure will result out of this in a positive way," said Marnie Lapierre, of the Timmins Multicultural Society.

Celebrations aside, Murray said she's ready to get to work. She wants to help bring more businesses to the city, support social services and strengthen partnerships with community groups.

"It's about community," she said.

"It's about people seeing them in spaces and places that they've never been before. That representation really matters."

Although Murray's term is short and she didn't say whether she'll run to keep the mayor's chair in October, she said she hopes this won't be the last time the city sees a person of colour at the helm.