Jane Cowell-Poitras (born 1953) is a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

politician. She was an elected member of Montreal City Council from 2001 until 2013 and had served as councillor of Lachine from 1988 until its amalgamation with Montreal in 2001. Her portfolio included social and community development, family policy, status of women, housing, urban Indigenous people and senior citizens. She worked closely on both the City of Montreal's Family Policy and Senior Citizens' Policy (MADA). As deputy mayor, she served as acting mayor of the city from November 5 to November 16, 2012, following the resignation of

Gérald Tremblay Gérald Tremblay (born September 20, 1942) is a former Canadian politician and businessman who served as mayor of Montreal from 2002 until his resignation in 2012. He also served as president of the Montreal Metropolitan Community. Before ...

, and again from June 18 to June 25, 2013, following the resignation of Michael Applebaum.

Background

Born in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, England, and Montreal resident since the age of two, Cowell-Poitras studied business at

Concordia University Concordia University () is a Public university, public English-language research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1974 following the merger of Loyola College (Montreal), Loyola College and Sir George Williams Universit ...

. Prior to becoming a city councillor, Cowell-Poitras was president of NATA, a business that coordinated conferences and volunteering workshops in the community.

Acting mayor

Following the resignation of

on November 5, 2012, Cowell-Poitras assumed the office of acting

mayor of Montreal The mayor of Montreal is head of the executive branch of the Montreal City Council. The current mayor is Valérie Plante, who was elected into office on November 5, 2017, and sworn in on November 16. The office of the mayor administers all ci ...

, by virtue of holding the office of deputy mayor, a position which rotates among different councillors throughout a council term, at the time of Tremblay's resignation."Mayoral vacancy will be short-lived"
'' The Gazette'', November 6, 2012. She was the first woman in the city's history to assume the office of mayor, having been preceded only by the ceremonial appointment of

Lise Payette Lise Payette ( Ouimet; August 29, 1931 – September 5, 2018) was a Canadian politician, journalist, writer, and businesswoman. She was a Parti Québécois (PQ) minister under the leadership of Premier René Lévesque and National Assembly of ...

as honorary mayor of the city for one day in 1976 to mark the

International Women's Year International Women's Year (IWY) was the name given to 1975 by the United Nations. Since that year March 8 has been celebrated as International Women's Day, and the United Nations Decade for Women, from 1976 to 1985, was also established. History ...

. She served until November 16, when council selected Michael Applebaum as the city's new interim mayor. She again became acting mayor on June 18, 2013, when Applebaum resigned,Montreal mayor Michael Applebaum resigns amid charges
''

Toronto Sun The ''Toronto Sun'' is an English-language tabloid format, tabloid newspaper published daily in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The newspaper is one of several ''Sun'' tabloids published by Postmedia Network. The newspaper's offices are located at Pos ...

'', June 18, 2013. serving until the selection of Laurent Blanchard on June 25. She was a candidate for interim mayor in the council vote, but garnered just three votes to 30 for Blanchard and 28 for councillor Harout Chitilian."Laurent Blanchard new interim mayor of Montreal"
. '' The Gazette'', June 25, 2013. Cowell-Poitras chose not to run in the 2013 elections, following 25 years of public service.

Post Political Life

Following her retirement from politics, Cowell-Poitras returned to school to complete a DEC in Library and Information Technologies at John Abbott College. Upon graduation in 2015, she was hired by the Merging Waters Pastoral Charge of the United Church of Canada where she worked until November 2019. Her retirement from politics also allowed her the time to get involved in more volunteer opportunities. From 2014 to 2018 she assumed the presidency of The Teapot – Lachine's Seniors’ Centre. She joined the Montreal-Lakeshore University Women's Club in 2014, where she currently holds the position of Archivist. Cowell-Poitras is also the Regional Director for Quebec (English-speaking Clubs) for the Canadian Federation of University Women. In 2018, she was named Resolutions Convenor for the National Council of Women Canada and she volunteers every Friday morning at Villa Beaurepaire Senior's Residence in Beaconsfield.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cowell-Poitras, Jane 21st-century mayors of places in Quebec Mayors of Montreal Women mayors of places in Quebec Living people Concordia University alumni English emigrants to Canada Anglophone Quebec people 1953 births People from Lachine, Quebec