Kate Stewart-McNeil appointed PCMNO Councilor for Region 8

Kate Stewart-McNeil appointed PCMNO Councilor for Region 8

Kate Stewart-McNeil  will represent Region 8 on the Provisional Council of the Métis Nation of Ontario (PCMNO).

At the November 7 meeting of the PCMNO, a secret ballot vote was held to appoint a new PCMNO Regional Councilor and fill a vacancy in Region 8.

Kate brings over ten years of experience serving the MNO, beginning as Traditional Knowledge and Land Use Coordinator in 2011, and engaging with MNO Lands, Resources and Consultations and Education and Training branches. She has also served on the Toronto and York Region Métis Council (TYRMC); the Ottawa Region Métis Council (ORMC); and is currently involved with the MNO Two-Spirit Working Group.

“As Métis leaders, we are responsible for being role models to the young ones,” shared Kate. “We must stand gently on the shoulders of the ones who came before us who built what we have for us. I take the call to uphold these obligations very, very seriously.”

Kate was one of seven candidates considered for the position, which MNO President Froh acknowledges could be a record in the PCMNO’s election history.

“To have seven people come forward to say we’re interested in serving in this kind of role is really quite something,” says President Froh. “It speaks volumes to the level to which MNO citizens are getting involved.”

President Froh extended her appreciation to former Region 8 Councilor Karen Derocher, who resigned from the post this summer, thanking her for her contributions over the past years, not just for her work on the PCMNO but her involvement at the community level as well.

“The work that all of our leadership are doing at the local level, the PCMNO level, within the regional consultation committees and our volunteers, requires all of us pulling together,” shared President Froh. “We are all in this canoe together, working to move the MNO forward.”

“On behalf of the PCMNO, I want to thank all the candidates that put their names forward, and congratulate and welcome Kate as Region 8 Regional Councilor.”