Success Stories
PaTTy Hajdu
Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour Mandate Letter
Patty Hajdu is well known and well respected within her community for her work on substance use issues, harm reduction, housing, and public health. She is a strong advocate for issues of equality, serving as Minister of Status of Women from November 2015 to January 2017.
Patty was the Executive Director at Shelter House, and is the author of and was a key member of the Implementation Panel for the Thunder Bay Drug Strategy. In addition, she was on the Community Advisory Board for the Homelessness Partnering Strategy.
Patty served as Chairperson for the Drug Awareness Committee of Thunder Bay. She was formerly on the Board of Directors for Alpha Court Mental Health Services and the Ontario Literacy Coalition. Patty has had a variety of her written work published, including several op-eds in The Chronicle Journal on the issue of homelessness.
Patty has lived in Thunder Bay–Superior North since 1980. She and her two sons currently call Thunder Bay home.
In addition to her work on mental health and addictions, Patty is also a talented graphic designer, and she formerly served as Creative Director for a marketing firm. Patty holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts from Lakehead University and a Masters in Public Administration from the University of Victoria.
Dusty Miller
Eleanor Joan (Dusty) Miller was a long-time Councillor and served as first female Mayor of the City of Thunder Bay. After teaching in Southern Ontario and living in England, she moved back to the Lakehead in 1954 and became heavily involved in the local theatre community. She regularly directed for Port Arthur Community Players, which later became the Cambrian Players, directed for Lakehead Musical Productions, and was a vital member of Theatre Northwest in its early years, later becoming Magnus Theatre. She was also a founding member of Theatre Ontario.
In the late 1960s, Miller studied at Lakehead University and graduated with the Chancellor’s Medal for the highest standing achieved by a part-time student. A few years later Lakehead invited her to design and coordinate their drama program. She also taught in the performing arts management program at Confederation College.
Miller was first elected to Thunder Bay City Council in 1974. She chose to run upon realizing that the city’s government lacked expertise in arts and culture. Miller was instrumental in developing an arts policy for the city, she was the first chair of the city’s Arts and Heritage Committee, and also served on standing committees for family and children’s services, non-profit housing, and architectural conservation. She was elected as Mayor in 1978, and, though defeated in 1980, served on council for two more terms.
Miller was actively involved in the creation of the Thunder Bay Community Auditorium. The planning for the 1981 Canada Summer Games (and its requisite facilities) also took place during her tenure as Mayor. She has been acknowledged with numerous awards, including the Order of Ontario, and was made a Fellow of Lakehead University.
Lyn Mcleod
Lyn McLeod (born c. 1942) is A former politician in Ontario, Canada. She served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1987 to 2003. McLeod was a cabinet minister in the Liberal government of David Peterson from 1987 to 1990, and served as leader of the Ontario Liberal Party from 1992 to 1996.
Following her retirement, McLeod was appointed to the newly founded Health Council of Canada. She also was named as the first chancellor of the University of Ontario Institute of Technology in June 2004, and is a vice-chair of the board of governors at Confederation College in Thunder Bay. In 2014, she was made a Member of the Order of Ontario in recognition for having “devoted her career to public service and continuing to be actively involved in community work around the issues of education and health care.”
She was elected for the riding of Fort William in the provincial election of 1987. The Liberals won a landslide majority in this election and made several historical breakthroughs in Northern Ontario. McLeod was appointed Minister of Colleges and Universities on September 29, 1987. Following a cabinet shuffle on August 2, 1989, she was named Minister of Energy and Minister of Natural Resources.
The Liberals were upset by the New Democratic Party in the provincial election of 1990, although McLeod was able to retain her riding against a strong challenge from NDP candidate. Unlike most other Liberal candidates in this election, McLeod was supported by prominent members from the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation in her region.