A small Quebec town, Tres-Saint-Redempteur located between Montreal and Ottawa has elected what is believed to be Canada’s first openly transgender mayor.
Julie Lemieux is the new mayor of Tres-Saint-Redempteur, a town of 946 residents roughly 80 kilometres west of Montreal.
The town is is known for its towering historical Catholic church — and now, for being home to Canada’s first openly transgender mayor.
The 45-year-old served on the town’s council for four years before running for mayor.She is also the only female mayor in the town’s 137-year history.
Lemieux, who won 48 per cent of the Très-Saint-Redempteur vote in the Nov. 5 province-wide municipal elections said that she believes the villagers chose her “to incarnate change.”
She added, “People needed renewal in the village.”
Très-Saint-Redempteur resident Chantal Brault said she’s happy with the village’s new mayor.
“Her orientation doesn’t change anything for me. We don’t look at that, we look at her skills,” she said, noting she’d met Lemieux a couple times.
