Winnipeg, MB - Mayor Brian Bowman will introduce a motion at Executive Policy Committee (EPC) today recommending the Administration Building at 510 Main Street be renamed after Winnipeg’s first and only female Mayor to date, Susan A. Thompson.
“I’d like to thank the Speaker, Devi Sharma for coming forward with this suggestion,” said Mayor Bowman. “As we celebrate the 100th anniversary of Nellie McClung helping women win the right to vote, it is fitting that we also honour a historic first for women at the municipal level. Former Mayor Thompson was the first woman to be elected Winnipeg’s Mayor, and recognizing her by renaming the administration building after her will ensure this achievement is honoured for many more years to come."
January 28, 2016 marked the 100th anniversary of women's first right to vote in Canada. While it is important to note that not all women won the right to vote on that day, it marked an important first step that eventually led to all women having the right to vote. Especially relevant for today's announcement is that on the same day, January 28, 1916, Manitoba women also won the right to put themselves forward as candidates in elections. Former Mayor Thompson's election win brought it full circle for Winnipeg municipal politics in 1992. The renaming would recognize the role of women in municipal government, both political and administrative, and will help encourage continued and future participation.
As the City of Winnipeg's first female Council Speaker, and strong advocate for women in politics, Councillor Sharma has been working with the Mayor to identify a way to recognize women in politics during this historic year.
"I am pleased to be part of the effort to recognize Susan Thompson’s election to Mayor of Winnipeg almost twenty-five years ago,” said Councillor Sharma. “As the first and only female to be elected Mayor of our city, she is both a trailblazer and an inspiration to women seeking public office. It is significant that this honour be extended in 2016, the 100th year of a Women’s Right to Vote in Manitoba."
During her two terms as Winnipeg’s 40th Mayor, one of her many considerable contributions to public service in Winnipeg was the implementation of the current administrative structure still utilized more than two decades later. After public office, Susan Thompson went on to serve as the first woman Consul General at the Canadian Consulate in Minneapolis, the founding President & CEO of The University of Winnipeg Foundation and recipient of the Order of Manitoba;
2017 will mark the 25th anniversary of her election win as the first female Mayor of Winnipeg.
Following the vote at EPC, this recommendation will be considered by Council at the next meeting on November 16, 2016.