LDWC Lennoxville & District Women's Centre

10/22/2026

Canadian Women’s History Month | Doris Anderson

Doris Anderson (1921–2007) was a pioneering Canadian journalist, author and advocate for women’s equality.

As editor of Chatelaine from 1958 to 1977, Anderson used one of Canada’s most widely read magazines to bring issues affecting women—including reproductive rights, divorce, women’s work and equality—into the public conversation.

She was also a strong advocate for the Royal Commission on the Status of Women in Canada, established in 1967. Her advocacy helped bring national attention to the need to examine women’s status and inequality in Canadian society.

Anderson continued her work in women’s equality through national leadership. She served as Chair of the Canadian Advisory Council on the Status of Women from 1979 to 1981, and later became President of the National Action Committee on the Status of Women from 1982 to 1984.

She was also an accomplished author. Her published works included the novels Two Women (1978) and Rough Layout (1981), Affairs of State (1988), The Unfinished Revolution: Status of Women in Twelve Countries (1991), and her autobiography Rebel Daughter (1996). Her nonfiction work, journalism and activism reflected her longstanding interest in women’s equality and social change.

Anderson also played an important role in the movement for women’s equality during Canada’s constitutional debates. Her resignation from the Canadian Advisory Council in 1981 helped galvanize national organizing by women’s groups around constitutional equality, contributing to the broader campaign that resulted in important equality protections in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Doris Anderson’s legacy reminds us that change can begin with asking difficult questions, challenging accepted ideas and making sure women’s experiences are part of the national conversation.

This Canadian Women’s History Month, we recognize Doris Anderson for the many ways she used her voice, her writing and her leadership to advance women’s equality in Canada.

Sources: Government of Canada – Women and Gender Equality Canada; Library and Archives Canada; Rise Up! Feminist Digital Archive.

10/21/2026

Canadian Women’s History Month | Thanadelthur

Thanadelthur was a young Dene woman who lived in what is now northern Manitoba in the early 1700s. A skilled interpreter, negotiator and diplomat, she played a significant role in establishing peace between the Dene and Cree and in creating direct trading relations between the Dene and the Hudson’s Bay Company. Parks Canada recognizes her as a National Historic Person.

In 1714, Thanadelthur reached York Factory after escaping captivity. Recognizing her knowledge of the languages and peoples of the region, Hudson’s Bay Company officials recruited her to accompany an expedition seeking peaceful relations with the Dene. In 1715–1716, she travelled with trader William Stuart and a large contingent of Cree toward Dene territory. When illness, starvation and extreme winter conditions caused the expedition to falter, Thanadelthur continued on her own to find her people. She eventually returned with Dene representatives, helping bring the two groups together for peace negotiations.

Her diplomacy contributed to a peace agreement and opened direct trade between the Dene and the Hudson’s Bay Company. The expedition also contributed to the establishment of a trading post at Churchill River in 1717. Thanadelthur died that same year during a severe winter at York Factory.

Much of what is known about Thanadelthur comes from Hudson’s Bay Company records, but her story is also honoured in Dene oral tradition. That distinction is important: her history is not only part of the colonial record, but also part of Indigenous historical memory and tradition.

Thanadelthur was designated a National Historic Person of Canada in 2000. Her story reminds us that women have long played important roles as diplomats, interpreters, negotiators and bridges between communities.

Sources: Parks Canada; Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada; Dictionary of Canadian Biography, University of Toronto/Université Laval.

10/21/2026

YOU LAUGH. YOU SNEEZE. YOU JUMP. YOU LEAK?
Let's talk about it. 💧

Urinary leakage can affect women at different stages of life. Pregnancy, childbirth, hormonal changes and ageing can all play a role. It is common, but that doesn't mean you have to accept it as your new normal.

✨The good news? There are ways to assess and manage it.

Join us for another LDWC Women's Health Conference, LADY BITS, a free, informative and interactive evening with Jessica Roy of Cigonia; seven-time consecutive Consumer Choice Award winner (2020–2026).

You'll learn about the different types of urinary incontinence, everyday habits that can support bladder health, common myths, and practical strategies you can take home.

📅 November 16
🚪 Doors open at 6:00 PM
🎤 Presentation begins at 6:30 PM
🎟️ FREE — registration required
⚠️ Limited seats available

👉 REQUEST YOUR REGISTRATION:
https://forms.cloud.microsoft/r/7dKXV7e1zP

💗 Know someone who needs to hear this? Tag your friend, share this post, and come learn together.

Because women's health deserves to be talked about — openly, confidently and without taboo.

10/20/2026

Canadian Women’s History Month | Jeanne Mance

Jeanne Mance (1606–1673) was a French nurse, co-founder of Ville-Marie and founder of the Hôtel-Dieu de Montréal whose work helped shape the early community that became Montréal.

Born in Langres, France, Mance became involved in charitable work before travelling to New France in 1641. She joined the Société de Notre-Dame de Montréal and was entrusted with responsibility for providing nursing care and helping establish a hospital in the new settlement.

On May 17, 1642, Mance arrived on the Island of Montréal with Paul de Chomedey de Maisonneuve and the other members of the settlement expedition. This marked the founding of Ville-Marie, the settlement that would become Montréal. Mance was not simply present at its founding; she took on important responsibilities in the young community, including health care, administration and the recruitment of settlers. The City of Montréal officially recognizes her as one of the city's founders, alongside Maisonneuve.

Mance's principal mission was to establish medical care. In 1642, she created an infirmary within the fort at Ville-Marie, caring for the sick and wounded. A permanent hospital was subsequently constructed, with the first Hôtel-Dieu building completed in 1645. Mance is recognized as the founder of the Hôtel-Dieu de Montréal, one of the oldest hospitals in Canada.

Mance continued to manage and support the hospital for many years. In 1659, she brought three Religious Hospitallers of Saint-Joseph from France to help care for patients and take on responsibility for the hospital's future. Their arrival helped establish a lasting tradition of hospital care in Montréal.

Her contribution to the settlement extended beyond nursing. Mance helped recruit new settlers and worked to secure the financial resources needed to sustain the hospital and the developing community. Her role as an administrator, nurse and organizer made her an important figure in the survival and growth of early Ville-Marie.

Jeanne Mance died in Montréal in 1673. Her legacy continues through the Hôtel-Dieu and through the many places and institutions that bear her name. She was designated a National Historic Person of Canada in 1998, with Parks Canada recognizing her as the founder of the Hôtel-Dieu de Montréal and Canada's first lay nurse.

During Canadian Women’s History Month, we recognize Jeanne Mance for her vision, service and lasting contribution to health care and the development of Montréal.

Her story reminds us that shaping history does not always mean holding political office or commanding an army. Sometimes, it means recognizing a need, building something that does not yet exist and dedicating yourself to a community for generations to come.

Sources: Parks Canada; City of Montréal; Government of Québec – Répertoire du patrimoine culturel; Dictionary of Canadian Biography.

10/19/2026

Canadian Women’s History Month | Portia White

Portia May White (1911–1968) was a Canadian contralto from Nova Scotia who became the first African-Canadian woman to achieve international acclaim as a concert singer.

Born in Truro, Nova Scotia, White grew up in a musical family. Her father, Reverend William A. White, was a Baptist minister and the son of formerly enslaved people, while her mother, Izie Dora White, was a descendant of Black Loyalists. Portia began singing in her father's church choir as a child and developed her musical abilities alongside her education. (Parks Canada)

After graduating from Dalhousie University, White trained at the Halifax Conservatory of Music while also working as a teacher in Africville and Lucasville. In 1939, she received a scholarship to study with Italian baritone and voice teacher Ernesto Vinci, helping her pursue a professional career in classical singing. (Women and Gender Equality Canada)

White's career developed at a time when racism and discrimination severely limited opportunities for Black performers, particularly women. Despite these barriers, she made her Canadian concert debut at Toronto's Eaton Auditorium in 1941. In 1944, she performed at New York's Town Hall, becoming the first Canadian woman to perform there. The concert received widespread acclaim and helped launch her international career. (Women and Gender Equality Canada; Canada's History)

That same year, the Nova Scotia Talent Trust was established to support White's career. In 1945, she signed with Columbia Concerts Incorporated, one of North America's major artist-management agencies. She went on to perform throughout North and South America, the Caribbean and Europe, earning international recognition for her powerful contralto voice. (Parks Canada)

White's career was relatively short. Poor health led her to retire from the concert stage in 1952. She then devoted herself to teaching and coaching young singers, continuing to influence other performers through her knowledge and experience. She remained connected to music until shortly before her death in 1968. (Women and Gender Equality Canada)

Her achievements have continued to be recognized in Canada. Portia White was designated a Person of National Historic Significance in 1995, and Canada Post later honoured her with a commemorative stamp. Nova Scotia also established the Portia White Prize, which continues to recognize artistic excellence. (Parks Canada; Government of Nova Scotia)

Portia White's story is significant not only because of the stages she performed on, but because of the barriers she encountered along the way. At a time when race and gender could determine who was given an opportunity, she pursued a professional career in classical music and achieved recognition at home and internationally.

During Canadian Women's History Month, we recognize Portia White for her extraordinary musical talent, perseverance and contribution to Canadian cultural history.

Her story reminds us that sometimes changing history begins simply with daring to pursue a dream when the world has not yet made a place for you.

Sources: Parks Canada; Women and Gender Equality Canada; Canada’s History; Government of Nova Scotia; Library and Archives Canada.

10/18/2026

Canadian Women’s History Month | Bertha Wilson

When Bertha Wilson decided to study law at the age of 31, she entered a profession where women remained a small minority. Born in Scotland in 1923, Wilson immigrated to Canada with her husband in 1949 and enrolled at Dalhousie University to study law in 1955. She earned her LL.B. and was called to the Nova Scotia Bar in 1957, later practising law in Toronto with Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt.

Wilson continued to break barriers throughout her career. In 1975, she became the first woman appointed to the Court of Appeal for Ontario. Seven years later, she made Canadian history again when she became the first woman appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada, serving from 1982 until 1991.

Her influence extended well beyond her historic appointments. Serving on the Supreme Court during the early years of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, Wilson contributed to important decisions involving equality, human rights, family law and other social issues. She was part of the Court's 1988 decision in R. v. Morgentaler, which struck down the Criminal Code provisions governing abortion. Her judgments also challenged assumptions about how laws affected women and other groups who had historically experienced inequality.

After leaving the Supreme Court, Wilson continued contributing to public life. She chaired the Canadian Bar Association's Task Force on Gender Equality and served as a commissioner of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples. She was elected to the Royal Society of Canada in 1991 and appointed a Companion of the Order of Canada in 1992.

Bertha Wilson helped open doors in a profession that had long been dominated by men—and her legacy can be found not only in the barriers she broke, but in the questions she asked about equality, fairness and whose experiences the law should recognize.

Sources: Government of Canada – Women and Gender Equality; Supreme Court of Canada; Library and Archives Canada; Governor General of Canada; Canada’s History.

10/17/2026

Canadian Women’s History Month | Roberta Bondar

Dr. Roberta Bondar made Canadian history in 1992 when she became the first Canadian woman to travel into space and the first neurologist to do so. Aboard Space Shuttle Discovery during mission STS-42, she conducted scientific experiments as part of the International Microgravity Laboratory mission.

But Bondar’s achievements extend far beyond her historic spaceflight. A physician, neurologist, medical researcher, educator, pilot, author and fine-art landscape photographer, she has built a career at the intersection of science, exploration and the natural world. Following her time as an astronaut, she led an international space medicine research team at NASA for more than a decade.

Bondar has received numerous honours for her contributions, including appointment as an Officer of the Order of Canada, the Order of Ontario and the NASA Space Medal. She has also received 24 honorary doctorates and been inducted into the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame and the International Women’s Forum Hall of Fame.

And for those of us in the Eastern Townships, her story may feel a little closer to home. Some members of our community may have had the opportunity to see Dr. Bondar and hear her speak when she visited Bishop’s University on September 14, 2026, as part of the Donald Lecture Series. The series brings nationally and internationally recognized speakers to the Bishop’s campus and is free and open to the public.

From medicine and scientific research to space exploration and environmental photography, Roberta Bondar has continued to demonstrate how curiosity, knowledge and a willingness to explore can open doors far beyond what once seemed possible.

Sources: Government of Canada – Women and Gender Equality; Canadian Space Agency; Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada; Bishop’s University – Donald Lecture Series.

10/16/2026

Look what we received! Thanks to this generous contribution from Giant Tiger on Comtois Street in Sherbrooke, we have 30 fabulous stuffed animals to serve as "training babies" for our babysitting courses. LDWC's Red Cross Babysitting Course is underway today with these new "babies" on the job helping to teach diapering and child safety for our aspiring babysitters!

Très fière d'avoir aider le Centre de Femmes de Lennoxville et environs avec des peluches pour aider les jeunes à s'entraîner au gardiennage.

Vous pouvez suivre leur progrès de cette belle expérience sur leur page Facebook!
https://www.facebook.com/LennoxvilleDistrictWomensCentre/

10/16/2026

Canadian Women’s History Month | Nellie J. Cournoyea

Nellie J. Cournoyea is an Inuvialuit leader and politician whose decades of work helped shape the political and economic future of Canada’s North.

Born in Aklavik, Northwest Territories, in 1940, Cournoyea began her career in broadcasting, working for CBC Inuvik for nine years. She later became involved in Indigenous land rights, serving as a land claims fieldworker and as a founding member of the Committee for Original Peoples’ Entitlement (COPE). She played an important role in the negotiations that led to the 1984 Inuvialuit Final Agreement, which established rights to more than 90,000 square kilometres of land in the western Arctic.

First elected to the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories in 1979, Cournoyea held several ministerial portfolios before being chosen as Premier of the Northwest Territories in 1991. She became the first woman to serve as premier of a Canadian territory and the first Indigenous woman to lead a provincial or territorial government in Canada. She served until 1995.

Her leadership continued beyond territorial politics. For 20 years, she served as Chair and CEO of the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation, which manages lands and financial compensation resulting from the Inuvialuit Final Agreement. She also contributed to discussions surrounding the creation of Nunavut and continued advocating for Northern communities and Indigenous self-determination.

Cournoyea has received numerous honours, including the National Aboriginal Achievement Award, the Governor General’s Northern Medal and appointment as an Officer of the Order of Canada. In 2023, Canada Post honoured her with a stamp as part of its Indigenous Leaders series.

Nellie Cournoyea’s story is one of leadership rooted in community, land rights and the pursuit of greater self-determination for the North.

Sources: Government of Canada – Women and Gender Equality; Government of Canada – Canadian Polar Commission; Governor General of Canada; Government of the Northwest Territories; Canada Post.

10/15/2026

Today is the International Day of Rural Women: “Rural Women Farmers Caring for Mother Nature.” Find the UN Statement below: