French River mayor to receive King Charles medal at International Women's Day event
CBC
French River mayor Gisèle Pageau will receive the King Charles III Coronation Medal Saturday at an event marking International Women's Day.
The medal is presented to individuals who have made a significant contribution to Canada or to a particular province, territory, region or community of Canada, or have made an outstanding achievement abroad that brings credit to Canada.
"I'm quite surprised and I guess in awe because there's a lot of fantastic women out there that certainly deserve the prize," Pageau said.
"And I'm quite honoured, actually."
Pageau has been the mayor of French River, a rural community of 2,800 south of Sudbury, since 2018.
She was previously the director of human rights and education for the Communications, Energy, and Paperworkers Union of Canada (now Unifor), according to a biography provided by the Sudbury East Chamber of Commerce, which is hosting the event where she'll receive the medal.
She also mentored women through the United Nations Canadian labour team.
In addition, Pageau worked at Laurentian University as a communications and special events coordinator for university advancement.
While there, she was president of the Laurentian University Staff Union where she negotiated the first provincial pay equity plan for university women.
Pageau said she believed her work on pay equity might be behind her nomination for the King Charles medal.
But Nickel Belt MPP France Gélinas, who will present the medal to Pageau, also praised her leadership in the French River community.
Specifically, she commended Pageau for her successful effort to keep the OPP station in Noëlville open after news emerged in 2023 of plans to shutter it.
"I helped her put a petition together," Gelinas said.
"I would say every single resident of the French River has signed this petition."
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French River mayor Gisèle Pageau will receive the King Charles III Coronation Medal Saturday at an event marking International Women's Day.
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