Detheridge honoured with national award
Retired CBRM councillor honoured for political service
A longtime councillor in Cape Breton has been honoured with a national award recognizing outstanding service by a woman in municipal politics.
Claire Detheridge, former councillor with the Cape Breton Regional Municipality, received the Ann MacLean Award for outstanding service by a woman in municipal politics, June 4, in Ottawa.
The award is presented by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and recognizes retired women municipal politicians who have shown “exemplary service to their community and constituents and to mentoring women who want to run for elected office.”
“I was very humbled that they did that,” Detheridge said in a phone interview Monday. “It was beautiful, I cried the whole time I was there, I think, it was so nice to see everybody.
“I think (women) bring a strong voice and I think it’s crucial that there be a balance.”
While she said she always had good working relationships with her male council colleagues, she noted that is not always the
case.
“I know myself, I was on allmen councils for many years … women have to be given a better opportunity and I think they are getting a better opportunity now than they were in past years,” Detheridge said.
The award is named in honour of FCM past president, Ann MacLean, who led FCM´s campaign to increase the number of women in municipal politics
across Canada. MacLean is a former mayor of New Glasgow.
Detheridge served 34 straight years as a municipal councilor, from 1982 to 2016, and was the first female elected to the Cape Breton County council. She was elected president of the UNSM in 2015.
In December 2015 Detheridge, who was then serving as councillor for District 4 in the CBRM, suffered a brain bleed
which left her paralyzed. Her recovery involved eight months of hospitalization and rehabilitation. She ultimately did not reoffer in October’s municipal elections.
Detheridge said she keeps up with some current council news but doesn’t really miss politics. She said she does miss the people that she got to know through her time on council, noting that support has been a great comfort as she recovered from her illness — from phone calls to countless bouquets of flowers to visits from well-wishers.
Detheridge said she has watched with interest the addition of three women to council in October’s elections — Earlene MacMullin, Amanda McDougall and Kendra Coombes — and believes they have adjusted well to their new roles.