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.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NEW 'Oh my God, you're my brother': Manitoba man discovers six unknown siblings
After receiving a DNA kit one Christmas from his son-in-law, Hugh McCormick soon discovered that he had six unknown siblings, with whom he shared the same birth parents.
No refund for travellers who cancelled flight already scrapped by airline: regulator
Four years on, the controversy over whether airlines owed refunds to passengers after cancelling hundreds of thousands of flights during the pandemic continues to simmer, aggravated by a sluggish, opaque complaints process.
'My family doctor just fired me': Ontario patients frustrated with de-rostering
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
Canucks hold off Oilers for 4-3 win in Game 3
Brock Boeser had two goals and an assist, and the Vancouver Canucks hung on for a 4-3 win over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 3 of their second-round Stanley Cup playoff series.
Ottawa pizzeria places among top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world at international competition
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
Man fatally 'slashed in the neck' in downtown Toronto, suspect outstanding
Police are searching for a male suspect after a man was “slashed in neck” on Sunday morning in downtown Toronto and died.
WATCH Dashcam video shows terrifying near-miss on two-lane northern Ontario highway
There were some scary moments for several people on a northern Ontario highway caught on video Thursday after a chain reaction following a truck fire.
'He's in our hearts': Family and friends still seek answers one year after Nathan Wise's disappearance
It’s been a year since Nathan Wise went missing and his family is no closer to finding out what happened to him.
Canada Post cracks down on Nunavut loophole to get free Amazon Prime shipping
Amazon's paid subscription service provides free delivery for online shopping across Canada except for remote locations, the company said in an email. While customers in Iqaluit qualify for the offer, all other communities in Nunavut are excluded.