Quebec mayor, 23, shepherded her town through forest fires. Now she’s stepping down
Global News
After leading her small town through a historic and devastating wildfire season, one of Quebec's youngest mayors is taking a step back from politics to take care of herself.
After leading her small town through a historic and devastating wildfire season, one of Quebec’s youngest mayors is taking a step back from politics to take care of herself.
Isabelle Lessard, 23, was thrust into the spotlight last summer after raging forest fires forced the evacuation of hundreds of homes in Chapais, Que., about 715 kilometres northeast of Montreal.
In her resignation letter that she posted publicly on social media Wednesday, Lessard said her experience at the helm of the small town of 1,500 residents was “very enriching.”
Making the decision to leave was “extremely difficult,” she added.
“Unfortunately, the difficult weeks last June during the forest fires had significant consequences for my health and I must take the necessary time to heal,” Lessard wrote in her letter.
After shepherding Chapais through one of the worst forest fire seasons on record, Lessard has been off the job since mid-September. She hoped to come back in full form, but explained that isn’t the case.
“However, realistically, from a medical and personal point of view, the best decision for my health as well as for the municipality of Chapais is for me to make way way for a new mayor,” Lessard wrote.
“I sincerely hope that my short stay will leave a positive mark despite the circumstances.”
The family behind one of Canada’s most well-known ice-cream brands says they’re absorbing “all immediate increases in our costs” as the U.S.-Canada trade war heats up.
Friedrich Trump called his business in Bennett, a town that sprang up because of the Klondike Gold Rush, the Arctic Restaurant & Hotel.
A new poll suggests that 40 per cent of Canadians are worried about losing their jobs as many businesses scale back hiring plans in response to the trade war with the U.S.
At the Halifax Stanfield International Airport, the tariff trade war between Canada and the U.S. is leaving flyers who travel between the two countries feeling very uneasy.
The man pleaded guilty to one count of violating the Migratory Birds Regulations after hunting snow geese without a permit, says a release from the ECCC.
Doug Ford is set to fly in and out of the U.S. capital on Thursday for a meeting with President Donald Trump's commerce secretary which could calm or reignite trade tensions.
'Half of us here are dual citizens, including me -- Canadian and American, half of us,' Point Roberts resident Brian Calder told Global News.
The proposed upgrades include parking lot improvements, wider trails, and a 2.4-metre-wide multi-use pathway.
Carney will replace Justin Trudeau after winning a race for the Liberal leadership on Sunday, and will take the reins of government amid a growing trade war with the U.S.
A Toronto woman who faced multiple charges in a dog attack that seriously injured a child has pleaded guilty to some of them, including a criminal charge of negligence.
Doug Ford was spending Wednesday meeting with Canada's incoming prime minister and speaking to his fellow premiers ahead of a trip Thursday to Washington, D.C.
The Bank of Canada cut its benchmark rate by 25 basis points, bringing it down to 2.75 per cent. Experts say the outlook for the housing market remains hazy.
Officers received a call shortly after noon Wednesday about an unconscious person who was found on the slopes, lying near a tree.