HALIFAX – A small town in Nova Scotia’s Annapolis Valley elected its first all-women council last week.
Adele MacDonald, Lynn Myers, Sybil Skinner Robertson and Heather Sadkowski were elected to the five-person council in the town of Annapolis Royal, N.S., during municipal elections on Oct. 19.
Amery Boyer was re-elected for a second term as mayor of the town, which had a population of about 530 people according to the 2021 census.
A study by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities found that in 2023 women represented 31 per cent of all elected municipal representatives in Canada.
The study said women made up under 40 per cent of all elected municipal officials in Nova Scotia.
Skinner Robertson says the hateful messages and threats of violence toward women in online spaces can be a deterrent for those looking to run for office.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 25, 2024.
